One Day of My Life

Marathon Man

2012-02-12T21:46:00.001-06:00

I got an early start to my Sunday-- waking up at 4:10 am, which I can confidently say I've never done before. Anyhow, the purpose was to run the Mercedes-Benz Marathon in Birmingham. Ann and I got a lucky parking spot and I got in the starting corral with a few minutes to spare for the 7:00 start.

I won't bore you with details here-- if you're interested in specifics, please head over to the On the Road With Woodrow Miles blog. The link is on the far right column. But it was the hardest thing I've ever done. 26.2 miles, 4 hours, 12 minutes, 35 seconds of my life. But I got it done. My legs (ten hours after the completion) still don't want to be associated with me. But what a sense of accomplishment.

After a post-race meal, we drove home for a quick nap and cleanup. Our bishop was the celebrant at church and we didn't want to miss it. This service, after a big run, made me realize just how much standing and sitting I do in church. More ouch. But one of the Scripture readings was from the 9th chapter of I Corinthians, which included words like, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." Pretty powerful stuff for me.

So now I'm home, parked on the couch with the First Lady/wife/support staff/pit crew. And some really sweet victory swag:

What a day. And yes, I got my prize.

Cotton Bowl, Vol. IV

2012-02-10T10:39:00.001-06:00

Following K-State's Cotton Bowl loss to Arkansas, we loaded up our stuff (we are notorious overpackers) and headed for Dallas' Love Field for a flight west. There were lots of folks wearing purple at the airport just before noon, most presumably headed back to the Sunflower State.

We, on the other hand, were headed to El Paso, city of my formative years. Keep in mind that my poor wife is still sick, so flying in a pressurized tube at 30-some-odd thousand feet isn't our idea of fun. Touching down midafternoon, mom and my brother dropped us off at the hotel. On the drive to our part of town, I remembered that this city is not the one I grew up in-- so much has changed and is changing. I still know my way around for the most part, and it all seemed familiar yet foreign at the same time. When we finally got to our room, we were greeted by this, left by my parents as a welcome:

It was a much appreciated and very nice surprise-- check out the sticky note, as well.

We unloaded and decompressed a little, then I went to the house while Ann stayed home and rested up for the evening's events. This is about the time my aunts and uncles John and Marianne (dad's side) and Chuck and Cynthia (mom's) joined us. Our family is very small-- dad has John as his only sibling (he has two kids), just as mom has Cynthia (one daughter) as hers. So the couples all crammed into the dining room for the evening. Mom cooked up a terrific brisket meal, with rolls, salad, potatoes, and my favorite, tomato pudding. Home cooking.

What I also enjoyed was sitting in the dining room listening to three army officers and their army wives spending the evening telling 50-year old stories about their earlier years on bases in Germany, a few of which may have involved libation. Cynthia and John also told stories about my parents' younger days. I also didn't know that John had stopped in Mt. Gilead, Ohio (where mom is from) once upon a time many moons ago, and Dr. Ingmire (my maternal grandfather) housed him for three days while things worked themselves out. I don't remember the circumstances, but it's really wild that two separate sides of my family, with only one thing in common connected like that. I wish these stories could have gone on forever, since they were taking about sides of my folks that I don't know too well.

This whole evening made me very happy-- to have these wonderful people wanting to come together to celebrate like this. And excluding Ann and me, only Chuck and Cynthia are on the short side of their 50th wedding anniversary themselves, but only by a few years. So nearly 160 years of marriage was represented in that house, of which we can contribute only two. So we've got some catching up to do.

The nice thing is that we have some terrific role models.

Carson's Comedy Classics

2012-02-06T22:44:00.001-06:00

I've been a longtime fan of Johnny Carson's comedy sketches-- not so much from watching them in real time, but from the 30-minute programs my brother and I would watch on late-night TV, many of which are accessible via youtube. Floyd R. Turbo, Carnac the Magnificent, and Aunt Blabby were always favorites.

Very high on that list is also the Tea Time Movie with your friend, and his, lovable Art Fern. I won't bore you with the premise, but he'd always talk about directions to a sponsor's location by taking the Slauson Cutoff and cutting off your slauson and turning left until you come to...

This particular fork in the road is at Camp McDowell, where the First Lady and I spent this past weekend at church retreat. We love the people with whom we worship every Sunday, and many of them were there for at least some of the time. There was some 'church' stuff going on, but this annual retreat, our third, is a chance to meet people and get to know everyone better. It was a success on both counts.

Camp adjourned after lunch Sunday, at which time we drove back to Tuscaloosa. I had to haul pizzas as a deliveryman the last two seasons (and replace a car battery a year ago), so I was very happy to get home this year in time for a Sunday nap knowing I didn't have to work soon afterward. This gave the First Lady and me the chance to watch the Super Bowl with our trivia friends. Since the Kansas City Chiefs were not part of things (and they seem to wipe out earlier and earlier each year), we were all about the party.

We enjoyed the game and the 17 prop bets that were a part of the evening, such as halftime point margin, which side wins the coin toss, etc. Winner got first pick of six exotic flavored sodas. It was great fun. After scoring five points, I took fifth and chose a non-alcoholic sangria. Good food and good people. And for the record, I think the halftime show sucked.

This weekend reminded me of how privileged I am to be surrounded by so many nice, fun, and wonderful people. Even moreso, they don't seem to mind me hanging around.

Northgate Mall

2012-01-27T21:21:00.003-06:00

In the early 1980s, mom worked at the Northgate Public Library in El Paso when I was a kid. There used to be a chess club that met Saturdays 1-3 pm in the auditorium there, and I'd go down there and play a little. I wasn't very good, and I don't even remember the impetus behind going or how long I went there.

But when it was 3 o'clock and everyone packed up the pieces and boards and went on with their lives, I hustled a few bucks from mom and went over to the Detour video arcade across the parking lot. I'd go home with mom when the library closed at 5:30 Saturdays, so I had a few hours to kill. More on the arcade in a moment.

The library was a separate building in the mall parking lot, next to the old Northgate Twin Movie house (where I saw Red Dawn and Ferris Bueller's Day Off), a GFC Insurance place and I think the driver's license office. The mall was across the lot from these two buildings, and housed The Popular department store, which was where local Cub Scouts got their accoutrements. I think it was at this store where the famous Talking Christmas Tree story originated. As a wee lad, I didn't realize someone could possibly be using a microphone from a little ways off. I was pretty mesmerized. Anyhow, The Popular also had the old Viewmasters, which had round discs that slid into the camera and showed 3D photos to little kids. Pull the lever and the next picture would come up. It was great.

The mall also had the first Chuck E. Cheese restaurant, which hooked up studious kids with game tokens for stellar report cards. It opened when I was in fifth grade, and we couldn't get enough. Pizza, coke, video games-- man it was great.

Anyhow, back to Detour. The vids of the time were very rudimentary-- graphics were the best we had at the time, but nothing compared to now. Pinball (lots of it), Tank, Atari two-on-two basketball, skee ball, even a trap shooting game that I think I only tried once or twice. An old favorite was the tabletop Atari game that featured 11 Xs against 11 Os. Each side had a track ball (remember those?), a 'pass' button and four offensive/defensive plays to choose from. I liked this game, and it was a good day if I had enough coin to play a little bit.

And then there was the annual carnival that would camp out in the parking lot for a week. I wasn't (and still am not) a big 'rides' guy. Even the tilt-a-whirl makes me nauseous. I liked the midway games, even though the odds are stacked in favor of the house. Favorites were the squirt gun race and the pinball/horse race game.

So I have a few memories of old place.

But when I was home for a few days this month, I saw that the old Northgate/Northpark Mall had been reduced to rubble. I don't really know much in the way of details, but after a few tries at building it back up, it had fallen on hard times and there were fewer and fewer tenants for the place. This pillar of the Northeast, gone, a victim of big honking malls on the east and westside of town. There are those who spent more of their teen years there than I did, so I can't really say I'm disappointed, but I am a little sad. I moved away too long ago to be disappointed-- I've gotten along a long time without it.

Just kind of a bummer, that's all.

Cotton Bowl trip, Vol. III

2012-01-27T11:20:00.002-06:00

Continuing with the Cotton Bowl Chronicles...

The night before ran a little long, and since Ann was in the throes of being sick, we gradually worked our way into the day. As she stayed in bed, I went into town to see my friend Joel once again, who came with his wife to see us two nights before. He's a life coach these days, and it was really good to see him doing so well. He's even getting me charged up about things.

Anyhow, I got back to base camp and cleaned up, then the two of us went back to Humperdink's a little bit after noon, and I had what turned out to be my only meal of the day. I'm a big fan of microbrews, so I had one with my sandwich. This is pretty much where we stayed until it was time for...

...the famous Jerry World. It's either a very large stadium, or a small continent. Man, it's huge. Tailgate parties were set up, and it would've been nice to be a part of one, but we went into the corporate party area after they did a brisk search for contraband. If it'd been cold like the Pinstripe Bowl last year, then it would've been easy enough to hide things in layers. This year-- temps in the 60s. So no dice. But we went on in and checked the place out, and I paid for my first $8 adult beverage. There was lots of purple there, and I even thought I recognized the tool store guy from Clay Center who'd always record ads via telephone.

K-State band, priming the crowd for the big game

By this time, Ann and I were just kind of itching to get inside and check this place out. We weren't disappointed.

This was about 1 1/2 hours from kickoff, when the sun was still peeking in. I sat in my end zone seat while Ann went to go find (more) friends. The pregame show on the mega-jumbo-tron was a good time killer, done in part by Brad Sham, voice of the Dallas Cowboys and a gentleman whose hand I shook back in 1998. I got my chance to case the joint a little-- but the place was very segmented and it was hard to get from one section to another. Besides, I wasn't sure how long it'd take to get back. So I cut my losses and stayed in the vicinity. There was a ton of room behind our end zone seats, filled with several vehicles for our viewing pleasure. Like I said, the place is just immense. The crowd was about 60-40 in favor of Arkansas. But the Wildcat Nation represented well.

I'm on record as saying that this is one of my favorite things-- band pregame. Fight song, alma mater, Wabash Cannonball, etc. I can't get enough and still watch the youtube video on occasion.

Obviously the game didn't go as we wanted. My hope was that we'd be able to stay on the field with Arkansas, and we did, but I didn't think it was hard to tell who the better team was. A few things went our way toward the end of the half and into the third quarter, but it just didn't come together. I cheered and yelled as best I could, but my poor wife could only sit next to me, since she still wasn't feeling well. The folks to my right were from the Wichita area. It's never hard to have a new friend for a few hours during the game, but the father of three to my right wasn't really interested in banter. Oh well-- it didn't interfere with my enjoyment. Final score-- Arkansas 29, Kansas State 16.

After adjourning to the hotel, I stayed downstairs for a nightcap or two with Ann's friends as she went upstairs to rest. I really felt bad for her, since she really wanted to stay with us, but just couldn't. Razorback fans that we spoke to seemed surprised that purple seems to travel so well, even though all you have to do is pay a little bit of attention to know how well Cat fans travel to bowl games. It's not our first rodeo.

So with that I went off to join my wife. It had been a big day-- one I'll always remember. But there was still plenty more where that came from. We were scheduled to leave on a jet plane the next day.

Cotton Bowl Trip, Vol. II

2012-01-22T22:19:00.001-06:00

Continuing with the cotton pickin' theme I seem to have started around here...

My wife and I were in Dallas/Fort Worth for the 2012 Cotton Bowl. Our first full day in the metro was Thursday, January 5.

After a quick run/workout at the dungeon that passed for a hotel fitness area, we drove to Frankie's in the Sundance Square area in Ft. Worth, where we once again witnessed an establishment underestimate the droves in which Kansas State fans travel. The place was packed for Thursday lunch, mostly with purple. That said, the service and food were both decent. During the meal, Ann heard from some of her bowl friends. Seriously-- she stays up with these folks she sees basically only during bowl trips. Anyhow, we met them at Humperdink's, closer to the stadium, for a beverage. Our plan was to congregate there in preparation for the pep rally. I made some new friends and Ann reconnected with some old ones, since she goes back over 15 years with these folks.

Following some refreshment from some unseasonably pleasant January weather, we adjourned to Rangers Ballpark.

This is what became a crowd of about 20,000 Wildcat fans. For a pep rally the day before the game. Not all Cat fans had made it to town yet. The band, cheerleaders, and Classy Cats all found the travel much easier than they did for last year's Pinstripe Bowl. As I've said before, this is the only in-person dose of KSU football we get, so we were both really excited. After an hour and a half of videos (including stadium renovation projects and Wildcat bowl highlights set to Brooks and Dunn's "Proud of the House We Built"), player interviews, a talk from Coach Snyder and general purple merriment, we went on our way. Ann was pleased that the former President of K-State did not speak, as I hear he could be a little, um, windy during these events.

Then the group of what became about 20 was off to Cattleman's in the Stockyards-- a good old-fashioned steakhouse in a neighborhood where you'd expect to find one or two really good ones, of which this was one. I think I had an eight-ounce steak, baked potato, salad and rolls. Very good eats. A late (about 8 pm) and very filling meal, but well worth the time.

Something we also had to do-- play hard. It was on this day when Ann caught a cold that morphed into a ear infection. We got her some drugs after the pep rally then went and ate. She wore it very well and played very hard and didn't seem interested in this ruining her good time.

We'd done a lot, seen a lot and had a damn good time this day, and the best part of this leg of the trip was still to come. Tomorrow was gameday.

Cotton Bowl Trip, Vol. I

2012-01-18T18:30:00.000-06:00

The First Lady and I have settled back into our daily routine after getting back home from our trip to Texas to see Kansas State play in the Cotton Bowl, and to see my parents and commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary.

We hit the road right at 3:15, after I worked my retail shift and loaded up the car and headed west on I-20/59. Our first stop was in Jackson, Mississippi (pronounced Missippi by the locals) for food, and we camped for the evening in Monroe, Louisiana. Following an early start and lunch in Kilgore, Texas, we got to our hotel about 2:30.

I also may or may not have been pulled over just on the outskirts of D/FW, doing 76 in a 65 mph zone. The state trooper spent more time calming me down than telling me what I did. I was just wanting to follow the playbook-- you know, keep my hands where he can see them, etc. But he and Ann both noticed that I seemed to be freaking out. And it doesn't always pay to be completely honest: like when he asks, "have you ever been in trouble," it's not always proper to respond, "well there was this one time..." This caused him to ask if I'd ever been arrested. This time I put my shovel down and said no. He also asked me to take my rear license plate frame off, since it blocks the state name. So I drove the rest of the time without my UTEP Miners representation.

Anyhow, the hotel, such as it was, was a few miles away from Cowboys Stadium, site of the game, and under renovation. Our room, on the only unrenovated floor, had no functioning A/C unit, so we got a second room with a nasty bathroom. The third room measured up to lukewarm status, so we rested a spell.

Our first stop was a local watering hole for happy hour, then off to the Gaylord Hotel. The place is kind of like it's own separate city and you could well get lost and spend several days there without getting claustrophobic. This where the team stayed, and we went to be amongst friendlies and watch our men's basketball team play KU. We also caught up with an old college friend who lives in the Metroplex. Good food, good times and good conversation.

Following the game, we hung out for a spell and went back to the room. It had been a big day and a long day as well, and there was much more to come.

Down and Clear

2012-01-11T18:10:00.000-06:00

Our week-long football bowl trip, family excursion and tour of Texas is complete, and the First Lady and I got home Tuesday night around 5:30.

The only bad thing to say is that Ann picked up an ear infection on our first full day in Dallas/Fort Worth, so we had to scale things back just a little bit. We did get the chance to reconnect with some old friends, and in my case, make some new ones.

Obviously, the football game didn't go as we'd hoped. Cowboys Stadium is everything people say. It's incredible. We sat in the end zone, so we didn't have one of the obscenely huge replay boards, but we did have one staring at us (and in turn, us staring at it) when play was at the other end of the field.

Following the game, we flew to El Paso to commemorate my folks' 50th wedding anniversary. Had a great time seeing family, some who lived near and some who traveled from afar, as well as friends I'd not seen in years, and in a few cases, decades.

We flew out Monday and stayed the night in Longview, Texas to watch the Crimson Tide beat LSU, driving the rest of the way yesterday. Total mileage driven and flown is approximately 2,024.

Now, it's back to some semblance of normalcy, as Ann has begun teaching for the spring semester, and I return to work tomorrow.

There were no negatives at all during this trip, and I hope to spend the next little while going in depth into some facets of our trip.

50 years

2012-01-01T22:13:00.000-06:00

December 30 is a very important day for me. For one, it's the day back in 2007 when I proposed to Ann and she accepted. Nothing really fancy about it-- we'd just come home from dinner in Clay Center. We got inside from a crisp, clear night and I just asked. No drama, no theatrics.

December 30 is also the day my parents were married. In 1961. So two days ago marked their fiftieth and golden wedding anniversary. I've only been around for 18 (and some change) of those 50 years, but I truly can't get my head around it. 50 years. Dad got some leave time from the Army and he and mom ran back to First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Gilead, Ohio to tie the knot. They didn't know where they'd wind up or how things would go.

But they're here. It's truly remarkable, given all the bumps and bruises along the way. I've been away from the family now for longer than I was at home (and it predates me by ten years), but I know the gist of the story. And that's the part I don't get. With the places they've been, things they've seen and what all has happened over the last half-century, mom and dad have put one foot in front of the other and have made it this far.

Happy anniversary, y'all.

Resolutions

2012-01-01T21:49:00.000-06:00

So 2012 is here, and the old is once again replaced with the new. Spent the evening eating good food, talking, playing dominoes and watching fireworks and football. The rest of the crowd left about 11:15, but we stayed to see the new year in before going home. Ann and I love this crowd and look forward to every chance we get to spend time with them.

I don't recall it as a topic of conversation last night, but resolutions are always a hot topic this time of year. A few years ago, I decided to quit making resolutions, and it seems to be going pretty well. I understand why we make these choices, since a new year gives us a chance to start over.

But what I don't get is why wait til the calendar changes? Perhaps we make a change without all the fanfare and attention. It's definitely something I try to do. We don't really have time to wait to make ourselves better. My guess is that most of us set our minds to doing better all the time, just that the decisions don't get the publicity that comes with a New Year's resolution.

With all that being said, I've come to understand that I've accepted my limitations. that I can't do something because I've never done it before and I won't be any good at it. It's something that I'm learning through my marathon (Feb 12) training-- finding out what I'm capable of. Running faster and longer has taught me that I'm more able than I thought.

So I'm resolving to not accept these boundaries and test them whenever possible. And to do a little bit better of a job each day, whether it be at work or at home or in the other things I need to be doing.

Happy new year!

Mistaken Identity

2011-12-25T16:41:00.000-06:00

As near as I can tell, I don't have a doppelganger. But I have been mistook for others here and there.

About six years ago I was working at the radio station and was wearing my sports guy hat. We carried the Kansas City Royals games, so a few of the players and broadcasters would hit the highways of the Sunflower State in February to do meet and greets, sign autographs and get folks excited about the upcoming season. It was my treat to rub elbows with people like Frank White and Jeremy Affeldt, Bob Davis, Ryan Lefebvre and the like.

It was during one of these events that I was mistaken for a Royals player. I'm sitting at the table doing my thing and a little seven-year old says he liked watching me play. My playing career ended at age 14, as I've documented, and I think the kid's father came by and explained things to him.

The second episode happened in church this morning. About the only things I share in common with my parish priest is that we are both middle-aged men, a few years apart in age, and that we both have significant facial hair. I have a goatee, while he has a full beard. But a five-year old walks by me this morning and says, "Hi Marc!"

I suddenly felt a huge burden. But this child is a source of Sunday church happiness, and we had some yuks because of the event.

Christmas for the First Lady and me has been a happy one. We attended the early service at the downtown church, since our friends also worship there, and they were kind enough to invite us to their house for supper afterwards. The service and the music were fantastic. I love going to church, but this service is truly a special event for me, and I was not disappointed. The meal and the company were also top shelf. These friends of ours have two munchkins, a 19-month old and a three-month old, so entertainment was provided. I helped put a train set together, so hopefully I'll hear about some serious Christmas-morning smiles.

We got home in time to sip a little bourbon and soak up some Christmas Eve vibe and head to bed. It wasn't too late of a night, since we were up early to deliver meals on wheels this morning and making it back to enjoy the Christmas morning service at our regular church. The numbers were understandably a little lower, but there was just as much joy.

Prayer

2011-12-22T22:18:00.000-06:00

My wife and I are faithful and church-going Episcopalians. As I've said before, we love our church, our priest and the people with whom we attend.

Prayer is one area in which I struggle. I think of all the things I want for others or for myself, and there seem to be so many things that it just makes my head spin because I can't touch every base. Then I wonder if it's the right thing to pray for, then think if there's anything/anyone I've missed (because I want all these good things for all my friends). Then I wonder if God would want it... etc. I think these things into the ground and then I revert to the Lord's Prayer, which I think of as a 'catch all.'

In addition, some of what we pray during the service is 'corporate' prayer, where one person reads the prayer and the congregation responds. After 40 years in the Episcopal church, I'm starting to come around on this kind of prayer, but it seems a little automatic to me. I need to 'feel' my prayer-- have it come from the heart. Yet I realize that's not always possible.

That leads me to ponder a little more what prayer is. I've always thought of it as a discrete act-- where I stop whatever I'm doing and pray. But can prayer be more of a permanent way of thinking-- a kind of 'who you are/what you want/what you believe in' sort of state? I'm no theologian, but if the Lord knows the wants and desires of our own heart, and if no secrets are hid from him...

Anyway, Christmas has been here for five weeks for us retail types. I had no idea so many people bought shoes as presents. I've allowed myself to get a little more wrapped up in the spirit of the occasion. Typically, if everyone else likes it, I hate it. Simple as that. I know it's wrong, but it's where I'm at. So I've been playing my favorite Christmas CD and kind of ingesting it, since I seem to do a good job of absorbing my religion musically. There's a reason we do this, I get it, but it's also OK to enjoy the season and have fun.

I'm starting to understand that a little bit.

Snow Stories

2011-12-19T23:23:00.003-06:00

I read tonight that my friends back in Kansas are dealing with a lot of snow. 40-minute work commutes now take two and three times as long. School districts are canceling classes, and undoubtedly, basketball games. It's a way of life for coaches and athletic directors to have to reschedule games in that part of the state, and it was always tough to stay up with all the make-up dates and pass them along to listeners at the radio station.

It reminds me of covering a league basketball tournament in Frankfort, KS. It's an annual tournament that plays in mid-January, starting one Saturday and ending the next. All 13 teams played, and just about everyone played that last Saturday. games started at 10 am, so I drove the hour up there in a Ford Contour in just about an hour. But snow fell while I was in the gym the whole day, so when I drove home at 9:00 that night, there was enough on the ground to double my travel time in a four-cylinder, front-wheel drive car. Fun.

But that drive wasn't as much fun as either of the snow drives I made when I lived in Lubbock, TX in my mid-twenties. The one I remember most was in December of 1997, when I worked at the NBC affiliate and had a whopping two days off, since we didn't do a morning show on Christmas day. The boss' daughter, a coworker (with a bit of arm twisting), talked me into driving the 5+ hours home on the 24th. I got home shortly after noon, and even talked to dad before I left, managing to withhold the fact that my bags were packed and I was ready to go.

The weather was fine and the roads were clear as I stopped only once (I was single) for gas and pop in Carlsbad, NM. I surprised my parents' with a joyous overnight stay, and I would do it again.

But I left at noon on Christmas day, and the snow had begun to fall. The same asphalt that was problem-free the evening before was free of traffic but also very slippery. This made for a great time, driving at 35 MPH (with a Diamond Rio Greatest Hits tape playing), knowing that first thing in the morning was 2 AM to start a 3 AM shift at the station, and that I'd lose an hour on the time change.

It snowed the entire 300+ mile way back. Every mile. I had never seen so much snow in my life. Remember I hadn't moved to Kansas yet, so I had no idea what this much snow looked like.

Eventually, I made to Guadalupe Pass, through the mountains of the same name. Driving through the mountains, I eventually caught up to and passed a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. Keep in mind I can't do more than 35 MPH. He pulled me over a little bit further down the line and chewed me pretty good. I probably deserved it, too. I let him get up the highway a little bit, but I eventually caught him again, at which point he decided he didn't want any part of the trouble I was courting, and turned around to go the other way. He was the smart one, since there wasn't much other than a metal railing between me and a drop into a snowy abyss. I never felt out of control except for once, when I spun out on flat ground east of El Paso. But in reminiscing, I wonder how I made it.

Nine and a half hours later, exhausted, I returned safely to my apartment, called my folks, and went to bed. 2 AM wasn't too far away, and another morning show needed a producer.

I did the same thing a few years later, but stopped for the night with a buddy in Hobbs. I was working for the same man but in a different job, who said to ring the alarm if I was in that spot again. I called him late that second night and he took care of things.

Meanwhile, in Alabama, 63 was today's high temperature, and the highs won't get under 60 until Christmas Eve, and even then it's supposed to be 58, with low 50s on Christmas Day.

BOWL TRIP!

2011-12-15T23:20:00.000-06:00

The First Lady and I are unabashed K-State fans. She much moreso than I, since she's a native Kansan and has two degrees from KSU. I've devoted a lot of space here talking about the trip we took to KSU's Pinstripe Bowl in December of 2010-- truly a marvelous time.

This year, we're headed to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, as our Kansas State Wildcats play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, January 6. It's been a remarkable season for the Cats, and defibrillator sales should have spiked in Manhattan, Kansas. The Cats have gone 10-2 in the regular season, far exceeding anyone's expectations. Even ours.

I am truly looking forward to this year's trip, since I am no longer a bowl trip virgin. So much to see, so much to do and so much fun out there for the taking. We expect to see more of our friends this time around, as well as catch up with some others.

Can't wait.

Super Six

2011-12-03T22:49:00.002-06:00

The Alabama high school football season closed Friday night. The Super Six brings the two finalists from each classification (1A-6A) for games Thursday and Friday to Bryant-Denny Stadium, where the Crimson Tide plays. I've had the privilege of serving as a volunteer (one of maybe a few hundred). Two years ago, I wrote the promo that appeared on the jumbotron. This year, I guarded a parking lot by sitting in a lawn chair and checking credentials from noon to five both days. Hard work, to be sure, since it was so nice to be outside. Did a little reading, caught up on a few podcasts, even cleaned out the car. There was plenty of traffic driving by, just not many VIP types coming to park in my lot.

Once my shift was over, however, it was back up to the spacious and palatial press box to rub some elbows and hopefully make a few new media contacts. I watched some of the football, but it's difficult when I don't have a rooting interest or a game to broadcast. I did manage to meet some folks from Alexander City and from Hoover, who each have their own operation. This is the view from the Hoover high broadcast booth, just before kickoff of the 6A state championship against Prattville:

The picture faces the Prattville side, with the Hoover sideline on the near side. The gentleman in the lower right-hand corner is Jeff Lloyd, who teaches broadcasting at HHS. To his left is the color commentator, and then the Internet engineer guy. Not pictured is the statistician (you can see the stat monitor) and his spotter. That's a five-man crew for a high school football game. Granted, Hoover High has gobs of cash, so they can afford a broadcasting teacher as well as snazzy broadcast equipment. It's all a very intricate operation, and I found myself being extremely jealous of all this.

So I hung around Thursday until the middle of the third quarter to watch a co-worker's alma mater play (Hartselle), and I left the Hoover game shortly before half. Great games and much goes on to make sure everyone has a good time. I like that I got to be a very small cog in the machine.

Little League

2011-11-24T13:03:00.000-06:00

I played little league baseball between the ages of 9-14. Dad's Optimist club put together four different leagues from tee ball on forward, ending at age 15. This formed the entirety of my athletic career-- I never played any school ball or anything. I went to big enough schools to where I could blend in and be as anonymous as I wanted. It contrasts with some of the schools whose games I covered in Kansas, where the graduating classes often didn't exceed 15 and every kid played every sport.

I didn't play tee ball, but I jumped in as a nine-year old in 1981 with the Tigers, in the Midget league, for nine and ten-year old kids. I recall not being very good on this team, which finished fourth out of eight and was coached by Jack Adler, who I know was an Optimist later on, but I don't remember if he was at this time.

I stayed on the Tigers the next year, and we got beat down a lot, losing by 30 runs a lot of the time. I think I played well on this team-- I hit well and was a catcher for the only time in my life, since there was a left-handed catcher's mitt. I even remember pitching and not being able to find the strike zone and our coach telling me to roll the ball to the plate. Needless to say, it wasn't a good year.

In 1983 I moved to the frosh league Red Sox, for 11 and 12-year olds. I played a little first base and right field. The next year, I played for the Indians. This started out as a good team, but our coach got busted using an ineligible player, and told us he was 'going on leave' after he got caught. So there was much disarray. But we stuck together and won a few games toward the end of the year. We did poorly in the standings, but we were proud of those two wins.

I played first base on this team, and I hit the ball pretty well that year. One play stays in the memory banks-- a time where I hit one into the gap right-center and took off. I was a chunky lad and was running out of gas coming around second base. I took the turn at third and drew a throw to the plate halfway there. They threw to third to try and catch me, but threw it away. I was gassed and would have been happy to stay at third, but I loaded up my piano and headed home, not so much sliding into home as collapsing on it, exhausted.

The next league up was the soph league, for kids ages 13-14-15. I played on the Giants as a 13-year old, basically with many of the same guys as were on the Red Sox. This was a league championship team, beating the Angels in three games. That Angels team had the famous Camet boys, who were roughly nine feet tall and could hit a ton. I played right field and a little second base, as I was going through a bit of a Ryne Sandberg phase. But I noticed that when I played second base I hit in the two hole, and I batted ninth when I played right. So I stayed in the outfield.

Next season, 1985, I was an Angel, with the same coach as the guy who started off as our coach with the Indians two years prior. I think we took second this season, behind many of my former Giants teammates. I never really understood how to lock in and focus as a ballplayer, until my last at bat, a ground out to second base. I guess I saw how fast those guys were pitching and just freaked out.

I chose not to play as a 15-year old, opting to umpire tee ballers back at Franklin Field, where it all started. But that's another story for another time.

2011-10-30T21:45:00.000-05:00

My life took a dramatic (though expected) turn on August 9, 1989. Barely two months after I graduated from high school, it was the day I got on a plane and headed to Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois to begin my four-year stint in the Navy.

The day actually started the day before, which was actually supposed to be ‘the’ day, when they told me things had been pushed back. I didn’t really mind, since it meant a second straight day of Domino’s Pizza. Keep in mind that I’m two months shy of my 18th birthday, so I think this is awesome.

I had no idea what kind of culture shock I was in for.

That day started at about 5:30 as the recruiter came to take me downtown for some last-minute processing, and then the bus took us to El Paso International for a flight to Chicago, via DFW. I don’t really remember how late it was that night when we got off the bus at the base—maybe 8 pm or so and they started shouting at us and then herded us into a big room and were informed of all the stuff we wouldn’t be needing for the next nine weeks of our lives. Clothes, hairbrush, etc. Some got put into storage (to be returned upon departure from RTC) and some of the other stuff got donated to charity.

The next stop was a drug test. Peeing into a cup. Now I had to go pretty bad once I got off the plane, so I had no chance here. Drink some water, drink some more, watch a group of recruits go by, repeat. It took a while to get the job done, seemingly an hour and a half or so, but it felt like a lot longer, given how long the day had been. They never told me whether I passed, but I’m guessing I did since they let me stay.

The next thing I remember is wanting to get as much sleep as possible, so I got a quick shave (I didn’t have much need of a razor in those days) and butchering myself. The popular notion of the company commander (drill sergeant) banging on a trash can to awaken sleepy recruits is likely true, but I vividly remember hearing the lights flipping on at the switch box every morning. That was what I heard as boot camp started the next morning. It reminds me of not being able to sleep on one of those first mornings and seeing our CC get out of his car and feeling dread as he headed inside for another day.

Those first days as a sailor were foggy—there were times when I could hardly believe where I was, and feeling so dog tired that I hoped I would wake up and realize it was just a dream.

WVD

2011-10-21T21:58:00.001-05:00

In the Fall of 1994, my good friend Drew and I went to watch our Texas Tech Red Raiders play TCU in Fort Worth. We’d gone down to see his family in Lufkin for Thanksgiving, and we headed back up for the game. We had a great time, though the game didn’t go so well, as the Frogs sacked our QB ten times enroute to a 24-17 win.

We were kinda bummed, so we stayed in the Metroplex and got a hotel room and commenced to looking for things to do, and settled on a minor league hockey game, the Fort Worth Fire against the Tulsa Oilers. As was my custom, I bought a game program, and noticed that the games were broadcast by a man about my age who also did play by play of other events in the neighborhood. It was a bit of a defining moment for me—if he can find work broadcasting games, then so could I. I knew this was what I wanted for myself, I just didn’t know how to go about breaking into the business.

I had started working as a weekend board monkey at an AM talk radio station—running ESPN radio, Cowboys football, Rockets basketball and Rangers baseball, and in asking around, I learned about Woody Van Dyke, who had a bit of a network set up and aired area high school games. I recall having to make two trips to see him that first day, having forgotten something. Nevertheless, in the summer of 1995, I began working for his Sports Ticket Radio Network. This started a string of 14 straight years where I covered high school football on Friday nights. Every night, every game was special, even if it didn’t seem like it at the time.

Woody was one of my first mentors in the radio business. I learned earlier this week that he died at the age of 74.

He gave me a chance and helped me get my foot in the door in Lubbock radio. I wasn’t broadcasting, yet, but I didn’t care-- it was a start in my chosen profession. My first assignment was as a studio host, calling around for other scores and coming on for updates. Ahead were trips to Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo, Kimbrough Memorial Stadium (aka The Buffalo Bowl) in Canyon, and Ratliff Stadium in Odessa to cover high school football, as well as trips to Roswell and Plainview, and points beyond and in between. I got to meet people like Joe Fan, a big name to El Paso types, Steve Dale (Jack’s son) and Thomas Howard, who was a linebacker for Texas Tech and the Kansas City Chiefs. I worked baseball and football for parts of three seasons, eventually getting an on-air opportunity my third year.

One particular trip stands out—might’ve been the 1997 playoffs, Friday night and Saturday afternoon games for Woody and me. I remember having trouble for that first game, and I still have no idea how we got on the air to beam that Shallowater/Stanton game back home that evening. Woody rang the alarm and got someone down there so that Saturday’s game would be free of concern. This was Lubbock Coronado against Permian. The same Permian I’ve spoken about here before. The same PHS that owned my alma mater, Andress, as well as every other school to advance out of El Paso. So my hatred of all things Mojo was (is) deep. Now there’s a universal gameday rule that there’s no cheering in the press box. People are trying to do their jobs. I was new to the biz and broke that rule, as CHS beat the Panthers 20-7. Woody understood and followed this rubric and tried to calm me down while doing the game.

Good times, great experiences, and great experience. They all helped me get my first full-time radio job in Levelland, Texas in 1998. I couldn’t have done it without him.

Thanks, Woody.

Defeat

2011-10-10T21:38:00.001-05:00

I never played a down of football. Never went through steamy summer practices in pads, never puked into a trash can after sprints, never prepared for a game. So I don’t know what it’s like to pour your heart and soul into something like that and lose the game. To put forth that kind of effort, to give your absolute best and still come up short. It’s something I can’t possibly understand.

But I did suffer a crushing defeat today. I interviewed for a job I really wanted two weeks ago, and I felt I had everything going for me. I’d done some volunteer work for them in the past—helping with some writing, so they knew who I was. Two of the three people on my reference list were men who were in the interview room with me. Ann’s boss (the third name on my list) knew the director and made a call on my behalf. I’ve interacted many times with them outside of this arena. The third person in the interview room, a lady, knows a coworker of mine and got a good report back (my coworker called me to inform). The position was for something in my wheelhouse, relating to things I’d done in the past. I can’t imagine the interview going better. Thank you cards went out that afternoon to all three people. In the two weeks since, I still can’t think of anything I would’ve done differently. I felt really good when I left the meeting.

So I felt I had a lot of things going for me. Midweek (the time frame last week when they said they’d know something) and the weekend passed with no word, while people are out twisting in the wind. It didn’t bother me much—they’re typically busy with their own jobs and the things that swirl around it. But I did find out first thing this morning from the jobs web site that I was not chosen for the position. From people I know and people who have been in my home, I got no phone call, no letter, no common courtesy, nothing. Just an empty shell where promise and opportunity once stood.

I don’t know what cost me the job. I just know that when a football team loses, they can look at film and improve or go to the weight room and get stronger. I don’t know what I can do—I don’t know what went wrong. How do I know what to fix if I don’t know what’s broken?

There are only questions with no answers, and stunning and utter disbelief.

And we go back to the crossroads.

40

2011-10-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

I turned forty years old on Thursday of last week. The days of getting excited about birthdays are long gone, since the day feels pretty much like any other. Still have things to do and places to be, and not much time to concentrate on what’s happening.

I had the day shift at the running store, so it helped to be around people and to make the time go by. I stopped by the grocery that morning to pick up treats for my coworkers. It was the custom at KCLY, Clay Center, but apparently not here in the Deep South. Nobody seemed to understand that if it’s your birthday, you bring treats. I did manage to leave out the part of how I still don’t bring any baked goods for treats. I got some (and ate some, mind you) shortbread cookies with orange sprinkles on top and chocolate frosting on the bottom. Yummy.

Ann and I went to one of our favorite fine dining places that evening, and it was a special meal. We started with an appetizer of lobster rolls, and I had some pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and polenta. I can’t do the plating justice, but suffice it to say they would’ve scored the full point total on Iron Chef America. New York-style cheesecake topped off the meal, which was magnificent from start to finish.

Even with the weekend in the rear-view mirror, I’ve not been too reflective of the birthday thing, mainly for reasons already stated. I’ve been blessed with extraordinary health and honestly don’t feel any different now than I did 10-15 years ago. I’m the same guy who was knocking around when I was nine and thinking that being 40 seemed like a long way off.

But I’m roughly at the halfway mark of my time on earth, and I'm at the point where I don't need stuff anymore-- I need relationships and good times, and I've got both. I suppose it’s natural as you age to think about dying some, and I’m no different. I do realize how I’m a whole lot closer now than I was when I was nine. Don’t misunderstand my curiosity for being in a hurry, but sometimes I wonder what’s out there. Ann and I have some great friends and we have so much fun with them and when it’s just the two of us. I listen to great music that touches my soul. And I just wonder if all that will be waiting when I get to the train station.

Andress Football

2011-10-05T17:29:00.000-05:00

I worked as an equipment manager for the football team at Andress High School my sophomore and junior years.

My good friend David had already signed up, and one day while we played basketball at the park, he asked if I wanted to join him. It sounded like fun, and also like something that was out of reach. I’d gone to the games since that time in 2nd grade when we got discounted tickets at Newman Elementary next door. That was against El Paso High, and we lost huge that year if I remember correctly. I recall wind and rain that night, so it was pretty crappy in more ways than one. Anyhow, it seemed like a good time and a chance to be around Andress football.

But it came about. There were four of us my first year—two seniors, David (a junior) and me. I might have been 135 pounds soaking wet, and maybe 5’8” or so. I just remember lugging sled dummies back into the garage from wherever the linemen pushed the sled, which typically was as far away as possible. The fire hoses which marked the lines of scrimmage weren’t too bad, just unwieldy. David could carry one on his shoulder and another one in his hand and not appear to have too much trouble. I just tried to time it to where I didn’t have to lug another one.

As for gamedays, things started the day before when we organized the jerseys by tens to give to the players. At the stadium, our job involved many elements. Place the footballs for warm-ups, have the toolbox ready in case a face mask, cheek pad or chin strap needed work; making sure the kicking tees got to the kicker punctually, as well as dashing out for the orange tee once the kickoff team took care of business. Postgame, we’d get the jerseys back and all our equipment back in the ‘cage,’ and things like that. The stadium was darkened and the crowd long gone by the time we went home.

I don’t remember much about our preparation or work, but I do recall some great games, since AHS was in the middle of what became a 38-game winning streak in district play. These days, the Golden Eagles still make the playoffs pretty regularly, but these were special times. Beating Carlsbad at home after being down by two scores in a driving rainstorm/lightning storm/power outage.

I remember being on the field my junior year at the Sun Bowl for the first-round playoff game against Hanks. We didn’t lose bi-district games in those days, and we beat the Knights pretty soundly. It was the next week we were excited about—a trip to Odessa to play the Permian Panthers. The following year would be the year Buzz Bissinger chronicled a year of PHS football. Permian came to the Sun Bowl the next year and beat us 41-13, so we made the book, albeit inauspiciously.

But my junior year, we headed east for Ratliff Stadium, knowing full well the task before us. These were the days of the Midland, Odessa, San Angelo and Abilene teams comprising the “Little Southwest Conference,” as it was called. The football in this neighborhood was outstanding in these days, and our excellent 1988 district championship team lost 34-0. One factoid I remember (it’s funny what sticks sometimes) is that team gave up three points in the third quarter. All season. Twelve games, and only Carlsbad could kick a field goal on opening night. I also remember getting lit up by Coach Culberson (defensive coordinator and a big man) for not running our football out to the game officials that day. I threw them out there, and he made sure I heard about it. I understand why he was upset, given how the game went.

There were lots of great memories over those two seasons, but truth be told, that job was probably bigger than me. I was OK with it as long as I was an underling, which was the case my junior year too. I’d have been the head manager as a senior, but I got into a bit of a snit when I didn’t get a letterman’s jacket after we won district, so I quit and didn’t tell anyone on the football staff. It’s a regret, and something I wish I had to do over.

Every Day You See One More Card

2011-10-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

A round number birthday is approaching the week, roughly marking the halfway point as a space traveler. I feel like I should be a little more contemplative—thinking about where I am, what I’m doing, where I should be, etc. But I want storytelling to be the point of this here blog, so I think those things are being accomplished, in a way.

Occupying my mind the most has been a job interview I had last Tuesday, for a position that would open a lot of doors. I interviewed first, and I think it went really well. I truly believe nothing more can be done from my end—I have a lot of things in my favor here. A few other folks have interviewed, and the waiting, as Tom Petty would say, is the hardest part. We should know something this week sometime.

This past Saturday, the First Lady and I went into Birmingham with our church friends, as a batch of deacons, including two women from our own parish, were ordained and sent into the world. I’ve spent time here saying how much we love our church, and we were not disappointed. The music on that enormous pipe organ, in that church which began its history in 1871 and has sent men off to several wars, was incredible. The liturgy I’ve known since I was a boy was uplifting and soothing all at the same time. Truly a special event for us.

So maybe I’ll get a little more reflective as this birthday approaches. Right now, it’s a day this week much like any other day; a birthday that for now feels like any other.

9/11

2011-09-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

So today marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. I've spent time reflecting on what I felt then and what we now know about the attacks.

First, a little background. I'd accepted a radio job in Woodward, Oklahoma a month before, and my folks had come up from El Paso to see me. They spent some time knocking around the area, since Dad has family whose roots are more toward Enid. Saturday, September 9, we'd gone to the Oklahoma State/Louisiana Tech football game at (then) Lewis Field on the OSU campus. Turned out to be a close game, won by OSU late. I well remember Dad laughing and waving in time to the Waving Song, which the OSU band plays when the team scores. He seemed to be a little kid, and it made me happy to watch him.

We drove back to Woodward the next day, since the boss called a Sunday afternoon meeting. The folks drove home and I went in to the station.

The morning of the attacks started the same way as many others did-- out of bed about 7:30 for a shower and into the kitchen for breakfast as I listened to the station. The news we carried at 7:57 am talked about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I didn't think a whole lot about it, since there had been an incident involving a kid flying a small plane into a building in Tampa a month earlier. Now when the news finished, our morning guys (station owner and one other) typically started talking about whatever. Not this time. This was my first indication that something was not right. They were watching the TVs in the studio and were speechless.

Arriving at the station close to 9:00, I recall splitting my time between checking the news wire and watching the screen in the studio. I was a news and sports guy at the time, and I spent some time getting MOS (man on the street) interviews, eventually riding out to Woodward Regional Airport and spending a few hours covering a bomb threat. It turned out to be false, but you have to follow up on it, since we really didn't know the scope of things quite yet. It's about 2 pm and I hit the drive through for a quick bite to eat.

This part of the afternoon is a bit sketchy in the memory banks-- I guess I went back to the station to edit sound bites for our local newscasts. I believe it was this afternoon, maybe four or five pm when I went to St. John's Episcopal Church (my church, for the time being) for a healing/reflective service. More audio editing followed back at base camp.

I made it home about 9:00 that night, and finally sat on my couch, watched some news reports and tried to process what happened this day. I was in full work mode and adrenaline was racing, so I'd not followed the news reports very closely and hadn't done any emotional searching yet. I think I went to bed about 11, since the next day figured to be as full as this one, as we started to make sense of what happened.

Our station stayed with the network news coverage instead of normal programming that day, and went with more somber music to fit what became a time of national mourning. I think some parts of Oklahoma didn't play football that Friday (I know I didn't want to cover or watch any), but the Woodward Boomers played Saturday evening against Great Bend (my first Kansas high school game) and won. There was also a city-wide service at the First Baptist Church Friday night, in place of football.

Pictures!

2011-09-08T22:26:00.003-05:00

I've finally figured out how to add pictures from my phone! So far, I've added visual aids to some of the Tampa Trip and Pinstripe Bowl posts, so enjoy. More will follow.

Otherwise, the game goes on pretty much as before. Seven-plus inches of rain Sunday night into Labor Day Monday, meaning my front lawn got a good drink. Friday will be a rake and mow day. We camped out most of the day, watching The Right Stuff in all its three-plus hour entirety.

And football season is here in Alabama. The First Lady and I are newly-minted season ticket holders, section NN (upper deck, north end zone), row 15. This means we're roughly in Azerbaijan as we watch the game.

But we're there, and we stayed for the first three quarters of a season-opening win over Kent State. We had to leave early due to my work, but we saw what we needed to see. And let's just say Parking Services did us no favors that day, and let it go at that.

After my shift, I got home in time to see Kansas State score a TD and win (thankfully, I missed five purple turnovers), and to read about (no TV) a UTEP rally from two scores down to win in overtime.

House Blessing

2011-08-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

The First Lady and I have been in our new home for a little over three months and pretty much have the kinks out, and have things where we want them. We knew we wanted to have a house blessing, it was just a matter of getting back to town and finding a day where our priest was available. Saturday, August 20 turned out to be that day.

The day started early, with a 5K road race I ran as a member of a local race team. 5:45 wake up for a 7 am start. I was home by 9:30, and after an apple fritter and a Bavarian crème-filled long john, I cleaned up and got about the business of being a host. We had the munchies and antifreeze already, so some light cleanup work was all that we needed.

We invited friends from all our different circles, and they started to arrive about 3:10. We had a full house about a half hour later. We were absolutely thrilled that so many people (41 by our count) wanted to share in our joy—we love our house, our friends and our church, so this was a great chance to put it all together. Father Marc started by blessing the water and praying over each room, sprinkling the water throughout the room at the end. Entryway, kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom and even the master bathroom were covered. Not covered in the prayer book were storm cellars, of which we have one, so that was the last room to be blessed prior to coming back upstairs for closing prayers and dismissal. I’m on record here as truly loving our church and its priest and people, so it was really special for Ann and me.

We’d timed the event for 3-6 and the actual blessing at 4, since we knew folks had plans. But our trivia friends hung around and helped us get rid of some of the beer in the fridge. Much food, music, fun, libation and laughter were had by all. The conversation had found a dull point at one juncture, and the music from my Ipod got a razzing. The Wayman Tisdale albums had run their course, so I continued with more jazz from my Weather Channel collection. I like the stuff, but it was kind of like bad wallpaper. So out came the rap. I have no idea who most of the artists were, but I did learn that I have friends who know their rhymes.

The whole day turned out to be something really special for Ann and me—a home we love, surrounded by friends we love. I know it sounds corny, but it really was a day we’ll both remember for a long, long time.

EAOS +18

2011-08-13T23:15:00.000-05:00

August 9, 1993 was a great day in world history. It was the day that marked the end of my active obligatory service in the U.S. Navy, closing the first four-year chapter of my post-high school life. I marked the occasion back then on my brother’s couch in San Diego, on my way back from Honolulu. It’s where I came to love that town. Great climate and lots to do. Went to a few Padres games, even an Angels game as Robert picked me up at LAX early one morning.

One thing disappointed me on that trip—my good friend John, with whom I grew up swimming and playing games with, was on the USS Constellation, which had just pulled in to town after dry dock in Philadelphia. I left a message onboard, but got his last name wrong, since his mother had remarried before he was born. We could’ve touched base back then and been better friends, instead of seeing him for the first time since high school in Harrison, Arkansas, stopping for lunch on our way to Alabama. We were virtually strangers, but I was happy to reconnect.

By now, August 9 is just another day, and I spent it at the running store. It was a very busy weekend there, with Alabama’s statewide tax-free weekend in full effect. Our store isn’t very big to begin with, and it was pretty crowded most of the time. Our new manager has taken over, and he seems like a nice guy. There’s another new guy there also—someone looking for a few extra bucks. He was in the store all the time anyway—I used to joke that we should put him on the payroll, but I didn’t think he’d take me seriously! But he’s a nice man, and will be fun to work with.

Yesterday I had to change a tire on the SUV for the first time in two years. I was on my way to the bank and took a corner too tight (a sewer drain corner, btw) and blew the right rear tire. You know how it is, when you hear rattling—you hope it goes away. But then that old familiar sound that reminds of a helicopter swooping down kicks in, and suddenly, plans change.

Now it’s 9:15 am in Tuscaloosa, but it’s still steaming hot. I was on the shady side of the car as I got down to business, but it was a small comfort, as sweat just poured off me and onto the pavement. It reminded me of the time I changed a tire in the parking lot at KCI after our house-hunting trip in July 2009. That was midnight, midsummer in the Midwest, and it was way worse then as compared to Wednesday.

Things worked out well enough—I got chores done and got back in time to open the store at 10, but I was an absolute mess. Thankfully, it was the first day of school in Tuscaloosa County, so business was slow enough to where my condition wasn’t an issue.

Tampa Trip, Vol. II

2011-08-11T22:48:00.002-05:00

We’re back to the grind in Tuscaloosa, some time after returning from vacation in Tampa. Boy, was it a helluva time. Most of the trip has already been documented, but I thought I’d take a minute or two to talk about the experiences that didn’t involve food or running.

First off, church. Ann and I absolutely love going to church together. We go for pretty much the same reasons, and we take great joy in worshiping together. We went to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, which is just down the street from our cousin’s home. It was the final sermon for their rector (priest in charge) before retirement, so he spent time hitting some of the highlights of our prayer book—things he thought were most important, since it would be his last time in the pulpit. We’ve always found Episcopal hospitality to be some of the finest around, and this was no exception.

The same can be said for the following Sunday, as we traveled downtown for a trip to St. Andrew’s. The building is a Spanish mission-style building, built around 1904, according to their web site. The parish itself formed in 1874. It’s also on the National Register of Historic Places. We thoroughly enjoyed the worship experience. We noted a plaque in the sanctuary after the service, and an usher, likely noting that we weren’t regulars, told us the story of a gentleman whose name was on the plaque. Apparently there was a storm many moons ago, and he, I believe a vestryman, was on a ship at the time, and apparently is still on patrol.

Tuesday was tour day, as Ann and I toured Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play. Six bucks per person, but truly a bargain.

There were about 75-100 people there, basically with the intent of taking pictures, ourselves included. Locker rooms, on the field, near the famous pirate ship, skyboxes, etc. It’s quite the excellent facility.

The Tampa Yankees were also at home, playing the Palm Beach Cardinals, in minor-league baseball.

We sat six rows behind home plate for six bucks a ticket for a thirsty Thursday game. It was pretty steamy outside, and I had my polyester Cloud County baseball jersey on, so it was a little rough. The stadium is pretty good-sized, so as to handle large spring training crowds, so it kind of looked like nobody was there. Decent crowd, just spread out all over the park. The rugrats in the stands didn’t have much competition as they chased the foul balls.

Wednesday afternoon was soccer day, as the U.S. Women’s National Team played France in the World Cup semifinals. As I drove to the waterfront for my runs, I noticed a bar that would show the match, set for a noon kickoff on the east coast. . I’m a soccer watcher and follower, but I’m not hard core. I watched Abby Wambach head the ball in late against Brazil Sunday, so I was already invested, and ready for some ball. An early goal meant free beer as long as the gals were ahead. France tied the game, but our side scored again, so more beverage, followed by a victory.

The finals were Sunday against Japan, which made it interesting, logistically, since it was getaway day. Saw our first goal at the house, heard about the second one on gametracker on my phone, heard the US take the lead as I was going through security, and the rest on an airport TV. We were pretty bummed, but I saw an Asian (presumably Japanese)walking in the terminal and smiling from ear to ear.

I also hit the local running store, and was pretty jealous of how much space there was there, as compared to my store. I’d forgotten my body glide, so we had to pick some up.

Sadly, I had to leave Florida and Ann behind, but lots of great memories remain.

The Week in Tampa, vol. I

2011-07-28T22:50:00.002-05:00

I've been back from Tampa nearly two weeks now, and reliving the week I spent with Ann in Tampa. I flew back Sunday evening, leaving the First Lady to dog sit two sweet Border Terriers (Fred and Ginger) on her own. But it sure was a week I’ll always look back on fondly. I’ll talk more about my runs on my Woodrow Miles blog, and try to break down the rest of the trip here.

I’ll start with the food. Ann is a world traveler, and loves good food. She knows where to look and how to get to some great restaurants. First off, Monday night at Mad Dogs and Englishmen in Tampa proper. It’s not a very big place, but they’ve been doing this for 20 years, and we were not disappointed. We split a yummy raspberry brie as an appetizer. I had a shepherd’s pie with blue cheese as the main course that was the best I’ve ever had. I’m into portion control, so I ate half and saved the rest for another day. But I definitely was not disappointed either time.

Tuesday night, The Columbia in Ybor City.

A bit of a historical district, as I believe Teddy Roosevelt got some dirt on his shoes from the area, during the Spanish-American War era. The restaurant is Spanish/Cuban, and has been in business since 1905. I started with a bourbon and coke, and I believe we had some fried calamari as an appetizer. I had some delicious pork here that was so tender it didn’t even need a knife to be cut. Add in black beans and rice, yuca and platanos, and it was quite a feast. The Columbia also has entertainment, in the form of a 20-minute Flamenco dancer show, which was also very entertaining.

Thursday we went to the Tampa Yankees game, and feasted on Square One burgers for pregame. The place is owned by a guy from Norman, Oklahoma. Hamburgers are all they do. I actually suggested the artichoke hummus with chips as the appetizer, which made Ann’s eyes pop out of their sockets, as she’s not used to me wanting to eat such fare voluntarily. I ate the bleu bacon burger, which had bacon and bleu cheese crumbles. Delicious.

Friday: The Refinery. I wasn’t really hungry, so I had a bowl of soup and several bottles of chocolate milk. Ann’s cousin came up from Ft. Myers and they told old family stories. Fun to be a fly on the wall, and also fun to realize I married into this family.

Saturday: Crabby Bill’s, St. Pete. I wasn’t feeling too well this day—must’ve been all the good food I’d been eating. Bowl of clam chowder and a salad and some Devil Rays baseball on the TV. And an excellent view of the Gulf of Mexico, realizing that Houston was about 1100 miles to my right.

Sunday: Circles, South Tampa. This meal followed church downtown. An excellent cup of coffee got us started. We enjoyed some fresh bread with a mixture of butter and strawberries—something I’d never tried before. Yummy. Next up was one of the best Western omelets I’ve ever eaten. I’m starting to grasp the concept of using all my senses when it comes to good food, and the combination of the company, the meal, the service and the atmosphere certainly contributed to an excellent dining experience.

Oh yeah—I also liked the honey-roasted peanuts Southwest Airlines handed out.

Top Five Cold

2011-07-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

Whenever it gets really, really cold outside, I always refer to it being top-five cold. It’s a reference to one of the five coldest times of my life. Now that I think about it, they all involve ball games. In honor of the dog days of early summer, here they are, in no particular order.

1982 Sun Bowl, North Carolina 26, Texas 10.

El Paso is known as the Sun City. Sometimes, the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t get the memo. This was one of those times. Dad was radio/TV editor of the El Paso Herald-Post, the former afternoon daily newspaper, and he had an assignment that involved covering those who covered the game. In other words, he was in the press box, drinking hot chocolate. Meanwhile, mom, Kenny and Ursula and I were sitting on our seats on the east side of the stadium. I don’t remember much about this game, except for the famous Coca-Cola episode. We bought a Coke from one of the vendors (who probably also suffered that day), and Ursula put some antifreeze (rum, I think) in said drink. I’m 11 and won’t be introduced to the concept for several years. We’re shivering, dad’s in the press box, and I made mom buy me another drink. It’s lost to history, but I’m guessing I didn’t have too much Coke that day.

Tiger baseball

I lived in Clay Center, Kansas for 7 ½ years, covering high school sports across the area as the Assistant Sports Director for two stations in North Central Kansas. Great times, to be sure. One fine spring day (2008?) in the Sunflower State, I broadcast Clay Center Tiger baseball, as they were in Manhattan to play the Wamego Red Raiders. Wamego, east of town, is in the process of remodeling their ball field, so we played our scheduled doubleheader at Cico Park in MHK. Spring in the Midwest can be a finicky old lady, and this day was a prime example. No snow, just a cold and constant wind from the north at about 25-30. It’s not like there’s lightning or rain or snow, (read: no chance of postponement) so play ball. The folks at WHS were always very helpful (thank you, Athletic Director Mark Stephan) and as was customary, provided a chair and a folding table so I could set up shop. Thing is, the cold north wind cuts right through you after a while, and there’s no getting away from it. The kids and umpires are out there trying their best, but the innings go on and on and on. There doesn’t seem to be enough Kleenex to wipe my nose. Finally, game one comes to an end. If you can find a wall that blocks the northerly wind (i.e. near the men’s room), it’s not all that bad outside. Sadly, this is not where they’re playing baseball. I call Ann, who was my fiancée and lived in Manhattan. She saves the day by bringing me a nice warm blanket so I can broadcast/survive game two.

8-Man state football championships, November, 2005

Duane Toews (aka the Moundridge Mauler) is still the farm director at our two-station conglomerate, and in those days, he and I would do a lot of ball games together. He was an all-league DE for the Wildcats back in the days of leather helmets. We’d do eight-man finals, league basketball tournaments, etc. And have some great times. This event took us to Russell, KS (home of Senator Bob Dole) for a football doubleheader that started at 11 am. I did these games in Russell and in Newton, and apparently Ma Nature didn’t like the games being played at RHS, because I can’t remember doing games there when it was nice. But when the finals moved to Newton, the chamber of commerce ordered up some fine (if atypical) Kansas weather. I’ve gone prepared for cold weather and have had to take off coat, gloves, and hoodie, with nothing but sunglasses and a t-shirt and jeans.

No such luck this time. DT reads the weather at least 427 times a day during his weekday morning shifts, yet has no idea it’s gonna be cold for the games. I’ve got layer upon layer on, and I’m getting by, but Duane is severely underdressed for the occasion. He brought a medium-strength jacket and some gloves, but he’s got no shot against this northerly wind. I don’t recall the first game being as cold as the second one, when the sun starts to set behind the school building, but I do remember us sitting in the company car with the heat cranked up so as to thaw as much as possible before game two. The biggest problem I had during the nightcap was that it was so cold, my pens wouldn’t write anymore, making it hard to keep stats. I had to carry the broadcast, since I’d look over at ol’ Duaner and he’d just be there shivering like a freezing bobblehead. South Barber and Waverly were your winners and eight-man champions (two divisions) that day.

1984 Sun Bowl, Alabama 28, SMU 7

This was another year where the phrase ‘Sun Bowl’ was a bit of a misnomer. Highlights included the Mustang mascot hurting an ankle doing cartwheels/flips during pregame, and the SMU types being very vocal in their displeasure about coming to El Paso, thinking they deserved better. The entire Woodyard clan went to this game, which turned out to be my first Crimson Tide game. Much coldness here, too. The four of us wrapped up in blankets, one of which was spread across the laps of all four of us, with me on the far left of the formation. Now I’m cold, but gee, mom sitting next to me doesn’t look to be as bad off as me, so I start badgering her to swap with me. Eventually she relents and we switch, and I learn that it was warmer where I was. Crap. I don’t even remember if I tried to get my spot back. I *do* remember that there was no booze at this event, as there was in ’82. We left this game at halftime, it was so damn cold.

Okay, so that’s only four. But a couple of entries on the honorable mention list can make up the difference.

Whitharral/Valley six-man football coverage, 1999. Valley HS is near Turkey, Texas, and a Saturday evening game over Thanksgiving weekend. My parents were up for the weekend, joining me at base camp in Levelland, and were along for the ride. They sat and enjoyed the matchup between the Panthers and Patriots. I was in the press box, and sort of bundled up, but my feet were cold, and you know how that goes. If your feet are cold, your whole body was cold. That was me that night.

Hanover at Axtell, sub state eight-man playoff game, 2008. Yikes. They put heat machines on each sideline, and even the typically hardy (if somewhat crazy) Kansas high school football player didn’t stray far, and likely didn’t look forward to heading out to play ball and leave what little warmth there was. This game was in sharp contrast to the following Saturday’s state championship game in Newton, as mentioned above.

Okay, now go back outside and warm up a little.

Tampa Two

2011-07-09T21:49:00.001-05:00

The First Lady and I have touched down safely in the Sunshine State (still finding no travel trouble issues) for a house and dog sitting job. Her cousin is crossing the pond for two weeks and asked us to come down to help. The dogs are two Border Terriers named Fred and Ginger. Sweet as can be. Ginger has already pegged me for a softie, as I've already had a stint of 20 straight minutes of belly scratching.

Her cousin Ellen has already treated us to a wonderful seafood supper-- the three of us and Ellen's ten-year-old son. I had delicious pecan-breaded trout with two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc. The food, the company and the conversation were all top shelf.

It has been a bit of a culture shock-- both Ann's and my legs have been bitten up by mosquitoes, requiring a trip to Whole Foods for bug ointment. Truly a remarkable store. It's on the first floor, with a Target store on the second. So we're seeing a lot of things we've not seen before, or in a long time. We were here two years ago for our first Thanksgiving as Southerners.

Who knows what we'll see or do in the days to come-- we really have no agenda. But it's gonna be a hell of a ride.

Memory Loss

2011-07-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

I don’t remember significant portions of my life. Not because of any kind of substance abuse or anything, but because I was only physically present. I chose not to look around. My lack of music knowledge has me playing catch up nowadays. I can’t really participate whenever my friends debate whether David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar was the better lead vocalist for Van Halen. When we talk about movies, oftentimes I get, “YOU HAVEN’T SEEN (insert movie here)?” It puts me behind the times in Animal House and Caddyshack conversations. I just didn’t get out much growing up. I guess I watched too much TV or played too much Nintendo as a kid.

So my cultural knowledge is rudimentary at best.

I also don’t remember much of what happened to me when I was in college at Texas Tech, from 1993-97. Part of it was not looking around much, though I did manage to make friends, which helped. But I also worked my tail off. I guess I was young and idealistic and trying to get somewhere, and not stopping to smell the roses. Part of the work involved the early-morning shift at the NBC-TV affiliate in Lubbock. My first year, I woke up at 3 am to make a 4-8 shift, where I was the associate producer (video editor) of Daybreak 11, which started at 6 am.

My second year, I advanced to producer of Daybreak (probably because nobody else was crazy enough to do it). This meant waking up at 1:45 am to make a 3 am shift. And it seemed someone was always getting home and slamming their car door shut in the parking lot about 30 minutes before my alarm would go off. And I was a full-time employee working a split shift-- after the morning show ended at 7, nothing happened at the TV station until the morning news meeting at 9 and the noon news, which I either produced or cut video for. My workday typically ended around 12:45 pm. So it was rough.

Both years, I’d go to bed about 6:30 pm, so my contact with the outside world was limited to recorded versions ER (before it got too depressing) and Touched By an Angel (it was a phase). I knew the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1997 only when I saw the highlights on the morning news feed, when Uwe Krupp scored to beat John Vanbiesbrouck of the Florida Panthers. Had to get to bed and had to get to work. And you know what a playoff hockey geek I am.

The TV job was one of three I had at the time—I was also a weekend board operator at the talk radio station. Running commercials for ESPN Radio, Texas Rangers baseball, World Champion (at the time) Houston Rockets basketball, and the coast to coast and border to border Dallas Cowboys radio network.

And I also worked as an engineer for a high school sports network on Friday nights. Sometimes they were home games, other times we’d head to Plainview, Canyon or Amarillo.

So I worked a lot of long hours in those days. Drew and Heather, who stopped by to see us last summer, were an item during this time, and I really had no recollection of what their relationship was like, since I was gone most of the time. I had to have them tell me about those years—1995 through 1998, since I was seldom around. And if I was, I was dazed and confused. Most of the time, I was at work or at school. And half conscious due to a lack of sleep.

Of course, there are things I’d do differently if I had the chance to do them over, but I'd rather not look back, and just prefer to take a look around every now and then, and remember that it’s OK to like things that everyone else likes. Maybe they’re right—maybe it’s fun.

So I’m trying to read a little more, write a little more, and perhaps put myself out there a little more. You know—look around a little bit.

Flag Day

2011-06-26T21:03:00.003-05:00

This blog post is about two weeks too late, but it’s too good a story to pass up.

I was an excellent student through eighth grade or so. I think it had a lot to do with getting thrashed regularly in Monopoly by my older brother. I knew how much I owed if I landed on Illinois Avenue with three houses, how many houses and/or properties I had to hock, and what I needed to roll to stay off his hotels. That and being raised by a librarian and the son of an English teacher meant I had much of what I needed for those elementary/intermediate years.

But I found high school a bit harder. As a result, my grades were decent, but I didn’t put enough into it. This meant I had few alternatives upon graduation. So in March 1989, I signed up to join Uncle Sam’s Navy, actually enlisting in August of that year.

Following basic training and “A” school (stories for future entries), I got orders for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to the USS Benjamin Stoddert, reporting onboard in February 1990. Benjamin Stoddert was the first Secretary of the Navy of the United States. My rate (MOS) was Operations Specialist, tracking air, surface and subsurface contacts, meaning we had very little to do inport, with nothing to track.

One day, June 14, 1990, was Flag Day, an inport day, and an off day, or so I thought. The plans of the day of the week leading up to the 14th made no mention of a Federal holiday. I stayed in my rack anyhow, thinking it was a free day. For some reason, I thought if I played the part thinking, somehow, as an 18-year-old and lowest man on the totem pole, that I could make myself and others believe it.

No dice. My shipmates went up to morning quarters and returned, with me still in my pit. I think I got laughed at, and never got in trouble or anything. The thought was that this was so utterly preposterous that all I ever got was a serious dogging. Besides-- that was far from the worst stunt I pulled on the Benny Sweat. I am now Facebook friends with a lot of those guys I served with, and I’m happy to say they've made sure the legend of Flag Day continues.

Randomness

2011-06-13T20:16:00.004-05:00

There doesn't seem to be much news of lasting significance around here these days, so we'll shoot from the hip a little bit and maybe tell a story later on.

We're nearly a month into home ownership, and out of cardboard boxes, for the most part. We've unpacked much, thrown out some, and put some into storage. That's right, we finally have more space than we have stuff to put in it. We had our trivia friends over for food and games last night, so that did lend a sense of urgency to the last few days. We still absolutely love this house, and there's more to be done, but we've traveled a good distance.

I've taken to my front yard just a little bit-- watering every other day, as well as checking to make sure the ant hotels are vacant. It'd just be nice to have a little rain here and there, as it's been pretty dry here the last three weeks. Today I went and bought some Roundup and a weed eater to help with the weed action I've been getting.

I've been back to running four days a week, basically in the same neighborhood. The paved trail is 13 minutes away now, not four. Two weeks ago my mileage was 18, 14.5 last week, and a projected 20 this week. I hope to be near 30 miles most weeks. There needs to be a marathon in my future, but there are some things on the horizon toward the end of the year, making those plans a little murky.

Okay, now story time.

I worked at the radio station in Levelland, Texas for two and a half years-- April 1998-December 2000. News, sports and sales. I was half of the full-time staff. I covered school board and junior college regents meetings, did the crime beat, did newscasts morning noon and evening, sold advertising the best I could. Long hours and there were never enough fingers to put in the holes in the dam, especially when the station manager (who hired me) took a job in Temple ten months after I started. That made me the entire full-time staff.

However, all I ever wanted to do was broadcast games. And this gig offered no shortage of opportunities. I'd done some baseball games the previous spring.

But football is where it's at, and my first game was September of 1998 at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo, Texas. A Saturday afternoon tilt-- LHS against Amarillo Caprock. Several teams in town use the stadium, so if two teams (say, Tascosa and AHS) were at home, one would move their game to Thursday or Saturday. Anyhow, my folks were along, and they were drilling me on the Lobo names and jersey numbers on the two-hour drive north on I-27. I'd been to this stadium many times in the past, as engineer for another network that did games, so the turf was familiar. Assistant principal Mel Gierhart was my sidekick for road games. I remember him bringing up the town of Notrees, Texas (near Midland/Odessa, I think), though I forget the context. Likely something to do with game travel. But my mother, who always travels with a full pack, broke out her trusty map of Texas and found it. Yeah-- it's pretty remarkable what sticks in your head 13 years later.

I was still learning my craft, so my game performance is up for debate, but I do remember Levelland winning my first game, 32-13.

Following the game, we got back into the company car-- a Dodge Neon, and headed south for the Texas Tech-UTEP game, scheduled for that night in Lubbock. The first half went OK, but the game overall was not a good one for my guys, as my alma mater beat my favorite team on the planet. Tech 35, UTEP 3.

There were three seasons of Lobo football for me, and this was the first. The win over Caprock got the seaosn off to a good start.

Sweet Baby James

2011-05-26T23:00:00.002-05:00

The El Paso Diablos minor-league baseball team and I go way back. Dad, Robert and I would go to two or three games a year at that old crackerbox Dudley Field, right next to the city zoo. The park was so small, pitchers’ ERAs came to El Paso to die every year. Robert and I would stalk the ice cream stand for whatever helmet we needed… And we’d watch the baseballs fly out of the park and watch old Texaco scoreboard light up. Great times, to be sure.

Anyhow, Paul Strelzin was the public address announcer for a lot of years. A legendary voice in El Paso for decades, but he also had a way with ruffling feathers. He’d nickname the players every year-- right about the time when Chris Berman at ESPN went places with his nickname shtick. Daryl ‘Jaws’ Sconiers, 'Chilly' Willie Lozado and Bill ‘Shotgun’ Schroeder were just a few of the players we watched pass through town every summer.

In 1982, Dion James was our center fielder, a player who found success with the Brewers, Braves, Yankees and Indians. Strelzin dubbed him Dion ‘Sweet Baby’ James. I’m not quite 11 years old at this time, so I have no idea what this means or where it comes from.

It’s not until a few decades later that my rudimentary music knowledge tells me that Strelzin must have been a James Taylor fan, since it’s the title of what’s become my favorite JT song. He played in the second set of his show in Birmingham Tuesday night, a show which the First Lady and I were delighted to attend. He’s in his mid-60s, still tours and still obviously loves what he does. He basically sang the same songs he’s been singing for the last 40 or so years, but they were sung with a passion and with heart. We truly enjoyed every note of every song.

But the concert was the perfect cap to a perfect day the wife and I spent in the Magic City. I started the day mowing my lawn for the first time with our brand-new rotary mower. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t so awesome, but it’s a new thing for me. We headed into town and grabbed lunch in the Five Points district, at a restaurant called 26 Twenty-Six. The décor was a 1960s meets The Jetsons motif.

But the food was great—I had Carolina barbecue pork with macaroni and cheese on top. The pork was very sweet, and it was complemented perfectly by the mac and cheese. It was the kind of meal you don’t want to eat, because it’ll be over soon. We also split a chocolate chip ice cream cookie, served open face. Homemade ice cream and a delicious cookie. Definitely a meal to remember.

We spent the balance of the afternoon shopping and browsing for items to furnish our new home. We managed to pick up some dishes and other accessories, as well as get a few ideas together for the long-term plan.

Five Points hosted our pregame meal, a Tex-Mex place called Fuego. We took advantage of half-priced margaritas and two-dollar tacos on Tuesdays. Another excellent choice, since we’re both used to the homogeneous Mexican food restaurants that seem to be everywhere.

After we eat and drink, it’s off to the show, and our first trip to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center. We both noticed that most of the crowd seemed to be our age, though there were a few pups in attendance. Great music sung and performed by people who care about the music.

Cardboard City

2011-05-21T22:13:00.003-05:00

We are at the close of another week-- moving week for the wife and me. We moved out of our second-floor apartment and into a really nice three-bedroom home about a mile and a half away.

So Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were big packing and moving days, and I spent those days off from work. You never realize just how much crap you have until you start to put it into boxes. So a little bit during the week prior, and some on Sunday, then Monday and Tuesday were hard-core. Starting at 7:45 Monday and at 7 Tuesday, we loaded our lives into cardboard boxes and plastic storage bins. The springtime weather in Alabama actually cooperated and provided temps in the 70s, unlike some of those Texas summertime moves, when the mercury really got up there. The only time we really stopped was to play semi-final trivia with our friends Monday night (we advanced to the finals, btw).

The movers arrived Tuesday morning and started hauling and loading as we packed out the kitchen and living room. By 3 pm, most of what we own had been transported. Strange thing is, we had everything done by 5 pm. Cable guy stopped by on time, as did the delivery types with our brand-spanking new king-size bed. Clockwork. The most important things got covered that evening-- putting the entertainment center together, as well as rigging cable TV and our wireless Internet.

So the last several days have been spent unpacking boxes and sorting their contents, deciding where things should go, and figuring out what all we need. Stuff like trash cans, watering hoses, a mailbox and stuff for the ant beds in the front yard. There will be more to be sure, but we love our new home. We'll get more stuff unpacked as the weeks go by. It's a great problem to have.

Character Flaws

2011-05-07T22:28:00.002-05:00

I don't do confrontation well and I don't stand up for myself.

I'll avoid making a scene or getting into arguments at all costs. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out. And when it doesn't, I sit and simmer and ponder and think about the whole thing. The things I wish I'd said. The possible scenarios-- how things could have played out. What would've happened if I'd done/said X. How I feel I'd have to watch my back if I did stand up.

Our society seems to thrive on conflict. Not constructive conflict that makes our world a better place, but silly, meaningless Jerry Springer-type stuff. I don't even do conflict on TV well. Conflict scenes in shows or movies? Can't do 'em. I guess I put myself in the position of the oppressed. Perhaps it has something to do with being in that position many times in the past.

Spending time dwelling on negative things is not healthy. I tense up and my temples tighten and I'm sure my blood pressure spikes. Not to mention the positive things or productive things or 'advance the ball' things I need to be focusing on. The negatives are all I can think about.

It's part of the ride-- you spend time around people and there will be differences. I understand that. It's the dealing I have trouble with. Even with things that happened 25 years ago. Even with something as small and trivial as what's in my head tonight.

So in the absence of coherent and organized thoughts, maybe getting this out in the open will be a catharsis somehow and help me figure things out.

Back to Work

2011-05-05T21:38:00.002-05:00

Following last Wednesday's tornado, I had four consecutive days off. There was no work, since there was no way to get to the running store. The First Lady and I have spent some time volunteering at our church, though we both admit we can do more. There will be chances for us to pitch in.

But Monday, I went back to the store I started at-- basketball and children's shoes. Relearning where things are, since the stockroom had been reorganized. Though the two store are owned by the same people, working at each is vastly different. Pulled three shifts there-- Tuesday and Wednesday as well.

This morning, I opened the running store-- my first time back since about 3:45 the previous Wednesday afternoon. My first time going south of the campus since that storm cut a swath through my state and my city. Intersections were unrecognizable, vans on the wrong side of the street from the not-there-anymore restaurant, fractions and splinters of trees still standing, gas stations blown away... It was all amazing, in a way. That one single event could do this much damage.

But I also saw things to be encouraged by-- construction types and clean up crews on the job at 8:45 (though I'm sure they'd been there a while already), a major laundry detergent company setting up its free washing machines, battery companies setting things up, and more. People moving forward.

Elsewhere in the news...

I'm starting to get back into the running groove, after a minor injury. It's difficult to start back up after a break. Something about an object at rest tending to remain at rest. Working our way back slowly.

And the tornado also brought my spring semester at UA to a screeching halt. I had an accounting assignment due the next day, and a test scheduled this past Monday. Both were canceled, with students choosing to take the final or take their grade as of April 27. So after much gnashing of teeth, I took my B in Intro to Accounting and ran. And I'm also not giving up on this as a potential career path.

One Was Too Many

2011-04-29T12:14:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, April 27 started with a bang. Loud thunder and a lot of lightning roused us from a cold sleep about 5 am. An hour and a half later, I woke up, sent my dear wife off to work and went out for a short 3.5 mile run. It was a nice morning-- just a little breeze a little humidity. My right Achilles had been bothering me (due to overtraining) and I was just starting to work my way back into shape. I also took note of power crews that were already out at 9 am cleaning up after the storm.

I then cleaned up and headed off to our prospective new home for final walk through, after which I headed off to The Athlete’s Foot in Midtown Village for my 12-4 shift. I passed through the intersection of McFarland and 15th street as I hit McDonalds. Since I’m starting to run up against time, I hit the drive through and head to work.

Now we’d known that the day would be eventful from a weather perspective, because of the advance warnings that technology gives us. We’d heard about the havoc this system caused in Arkansas, so it was hard to stay focused. Get a little work done, look at the radar. Work, radar. The wind started to blow more intently. Finally, the radio station we listen to ran EAS tones, signifying the start of the weather situation for the state of Alabama. My blood ran a little cold. Tuscaloosa had a brief tornado hit the southern parts of town a few weeks earlier, and we considered ourselves lucky.

About 3:15, the boss called. We discussed the situation, and he said he’d call back. Our stores will shut down if the weather’s nasty. Happened a few times back in December, with winter weather. A few minutes later, I got instructions to close the store. About 3:35, we’re out of there. My coworker Chris and I have no idea what’s coming. Just that there’s a southwest-to-northeast flow to these storms, and they seem to be gaining strength.

So I start home by turning onto McFarland from 15th street. The same intersection I used nearly four hours earlier. I call Ann, who is headed for a basement on campus at the University of Alabama. She asks me to join her. I readily agree. She is my wife and I want to be with her, but the place we’ll be is much safer than the second-floor bathroom in our apartment. I drive in on University Boulevard and notice that a giant tree has fallen on some power lines in front of a frat house that is under construction. Crews are on the scene. It’s close to 4 pm. Some traffic lights are still out, traffic is a little slow and I’m getting a little anxious, so I turn left onto Hackberry, in front of Canterbury Chapel, where we worship. I see college kids in flip flops, shorts and ball caps returning from class, at a somewhat leisurely pace. Meanwhile, the TV weatherman simulcasting on the car radio is not mincing words in saying that he hasn’t seen a storm like this in the 32 years he’s been on the job. Most times, they deliberately speak clearly and calmly so as not to alarm people unnecessarily. Not this time. James Spann is very stern in his warnings in that this storm has the chance to make history. The students I see seem to have no sense of urgency. I am incredulous.

I get parked and go meet my wife and we hunker down in the basement in Doster Hall at the University of Alabama, literally across the street from Bryant-Denny Stadium, where the Crimson Tide plays football. It’s a touch after 4 pm. We are happy to be together as we are joined by about ten other people, mostly students. It’s a pretty loose environment—we’re watching Spann online and we see the storm stay together and start to take aim on Tuscaloosa. More students join us, upping the total to about 25. We hear warnings on the campus-wide intercom—the first two or three tell of a tornado warning. The next… says a tornado is heading toward campus. The weatherman says it could be headed for the stadium. Swell. The vibe in the room becomes more serious. Then the lights go out, and along with the power, the intercom system is done. Ann and I start to hold hands. A few minutes later, we lose the wi-fi connection. So we’re literally in the dark and have no way of knowing what’s happening. Faces in the room are lit up as people use their phones to find out what’s going on.

Last word we had before wi-fi went out was that the tornado warning expired at 5:45. About six, we’re able to learn that the coast is evidently clear. We start to poke our heads outside and decide to head home. Though we have two cars, Ann and I go home together. On our way to the car, three students start to fill us in on what went down. The hospital and 15th street are torn up. The gravity of the situation creeps in. The store I left a few hours earlier is a half-mile away from sheer, complete and utter destruction. And there’s plenty of it.

We know not to go back up University, so we go home through downtown. All we see are some power outages and some small branches in the street. We get home to find out that we have electricity but not cable TV or Internet. But we do have our phones, and we do the Facebook and Twitter thing, telling the world of our safety, and starting to learn what happened, and the true gravity of the situation. This monster missed us by about 500 yards. Way too close for comfort.

We see pictures and some video. People dying. Widespread serious damage. Buildings demolished kind of damage. Serious damage to the McDonalds where I got my lunch. The tornado seemed to head east on 15th street. Restaurants and strip malls do not exist anymore. Places where we’ve eaten. The intersection I drove through twice earlier in the day is unrecognizable. I contact a few coworkers at the running store and learn of their safety. So we park on the couch and try to unwind and process.

Now Wednesday night is trivia night, and we initially decide we don’t want to go—the situation is too serious. However, we start to think that human contact is needed. Since the outage hit the bar where we play, we go to the store for provisions. Our friends call and invite us to their place for a spell. Salt of the earth, these friends of ours. We bring beer and pizza and crank the oven and at about 7:30 start to think about supper, when someone knocks at their door.

It’s a man and his wife and about six-year-old daughter. They can’t get to their home or car because of tornado damage, and got a ride to the neighborhood thinking they had some help lined up. When said help wasn’t home, they came here. The four of us don’t know who these people are—it could be anyone. But our friends did not hesitate to let them in. The man was trying to get in touch with his mother a little further up the road so they’d have a place to spend the night. I’m ashamed to say I spent a lot of the time in or near the kitchen, frightened of people I don’t know and what they might want. But my wife and my friends showed them much kindness, sharing our food and drinks and offering fellowship. Eventually, I warmed up and joined the crowd.

The gentleman contacted relatives, and soon, they were on their way. I wonder what kind of courage it took for him to knock on the door. He doesn’t know who’s on the other side, whether they’ll even be willing to help. So the four of us go on with our evening. And as we thought, we needed our friends. It was good for us. But this episode was very powerful for me—watching my friends display the love of Christ without hesitation.

About 11 that night, we went home to further decompress. Hanging out on Tweetdeck, and spending more time learning from the outside world what happened in my own backyard. An hour and a half later, Ann and I went to bed, becoming more and more thankful. We had each other, our health, and the tornado stayed south of the river. Nothing we own was damaged. But life as we know it will never be the same.

I find myself drawing parallels to the ice storm that hit Kansas in December 2007. Nasty stuff. Power outages, trees snapping in two under the weight of the ice, and ice-covered roads. My apartment had no issues. Heater worked, I had power and hot water and my automatic coffee maker came on every morning. I had it easy compared to folks who went to the armory for a shower. We have it pretty easy now, as well.

Playoff Hockey

2011-04-23T22:16:00.003-05:00

Everyone seems to think that the NBA and NHL playoffs take too long. And in the case of hoops, I tend to agree. I'm not a real big NBA fan. But I do enjoy watching the NHL playoffs. I'm no expert, but I enjoy the intensity of two teams slugging it out for an entire best-of-seven series and shaking every hand of every opponent at series end.

The genesis of my love for hockey comes from the den in my childhood home in El Paso, from my living room in Levelland, and elsewhere along the way. ESPN was my only outlet for NHL in the mid-1980s, and they'd show every minute of every three and four-overtime playoff game. It didn't matter which teams played-- I couldn't get enough as a teenager. If we had company, I'd go be sociable with guests (and stay out of trouble) during the intermissions and then go back when play resumed. I found myself drawn to the desperation with which the two sides played. One goal. Sudden death. Somebody's season ends tonight.

I found myself drawn to the Calgary Flames in those days. I respect the hell out of Wayne Gretzky and those great Oilers teams, but I liked that Calgary seemingly gave as good as they got. The Cs even hoisted the Stanley Cup in Montreal in 1986, which is a big thing, given Montreal's tradition.

In Levelland in the late 1990s, The Dallas Stars were really good, after coming south from Minnesota. My good friend Sean and I would watch the game, he from his living room and I from mine. When the Stars scored, my phone would ring. I knew who it was, and as soon as I picked up the phone, I'd mimic the sound of the 'goal' foghorn, which Sean joined in on.

And living in Clay Center, I followed the Flames making it all the way to the Cup Finals in 2004, losing to Tampa Bay. I recorded game seven and watched it when I got home from church league softball.

So, needless to say, I love watching playoff hockey, and the stories and memories that are created. And my dear wife has been very patient as my hockey Jones is sated.

Tornado Warning

2011-04-16T20:00:00.005-05:00

The last two Mondays at the running store have included some type of severe weather. Mainly heavy rain and wind, but nothing too bad, even though the tornado sirens went active on Monday of this week. All we do is watch the rain and watch the radar, since very few customers come to a specialty store in that type of weather.

Friday was another severe weather day in Alabama. A little background: I was scheduled to cover my last Mountain Brook High School baseball game. I was out and about at noon, following class, and learned that schools in Tuscaloosa had already dismissed, and that all MBHS afternoon events were canceled, including my game.

So I had a rare afternoon off. Knowing something was coming, I watched the radar and saw the storms race across Mississippi and trigger storms in Tuscaloosa around 2:30 or so. I turned on the weather guy, one on TV and one online. I heard the warning sirens twice, and the weather wonks were talking about a twister heading my way, so I decided precautions were in order. I've seen damage in Cordell, Oklahoma and heard about it here as well as in Chapman, Kansas. So, respecting the storm, I fetched two couch pillows, my jacket, a blanket and UTEP football helmet all went to spend time in a second-floor bathtub. Yes, I put on a football helmet.

Thankfully nothing really came near our apartment, although apparently a tornado touched down for a bit in the south part of town. Some damage and no injuries. The TV types spoke of the storm heading to the east, so I went on with my day.

But storms raged eastward, and there was a lot more severe weather where that came from. The way I understand it, the meteorologist-types at the TV stations were on the air nonstop, from about 2:30 to 8 or so. This makes a lot of people upset, since they're missing ER or the ball game or whatever, and the weather doesn't affect them. Me? I used to work at a TV station, and I was (and still am) astonished at how people complained. I'm glad we have the technology that lets those guys spend all afternoon on the air.

And to be sure, we rag on those guys a lot. Even the guys on The Weather Channel seem to get pretty excited whenever there's nasty weather. I was even one of those guys for a few years, covering severe weather on the radio in North Central Kansas, and know how the adrenaline starts to flow. For me, it's all good fun. I like knowing, and I'm glad there are people with resources who want to tell me.

Running Store

2011-04-11T21:00:00.002-05:00

I've returned from an eight-hour shift at The Athlete's Foot. My store is one of four owned by the company, and is specifically a running-oriented store. Shoes, apparel, fuel, advice, etc. I've worked for the company for 4 1/2 months, and at my store about six weeks, at about 35 or so hours a week. I like working there. The people are nice, and I get to meet a lot of cool folks and help them pick out a good pair of running shoes.

In January 2002, I found a new radio job and moved to Clay Center, Kansas, following an unsuccessful five-month stint in Northwest Oklahoma. But that's another show. My new coworker invited me up to the middle school to play a little basketball with some friends of his. Rocky was very kind to me in this way, and in making sure I met a lot of people and getting me out there.

But as far as the hoops was concerned, I never was very good, and hadn't really played since playing at 'The Park' with my friends, and infrequently at that. But I went anyhow, and soon found out I couldn't get up and down the floor without gasping for air. Full court, side courts-- it didn't matter.

That night was a night I remember, because it inspired me to work a little harder to get into shape. I tried the stair master and stationary bike, but I never saw the results there that I saw when I ran. I got into shape and could run well, but didn't really lose a lot of weight. When Ann and I got married and I started to eat (a lot) better, the weight really came off.

So I love running and like getting a chance to help others do the same. I've been on a bit of a hiatus because of a little tendinitis in my Achilles tendon, and will be back on the roads myself here in a day or two. I'm ready.

Story time: football

2011-04-08T21:17:00.002-05:00

For three seasons, 1998-9 and 2000, it was my treat to cover Levelland High School ball games. Football, baseball and hoops. Our station also covered some games involving area teams. Earlier, I promised to tell some ball stories, and here are a few more.

I want to say the first event took place in 1998. LHS at Andrews, home of Shaud Williams and the Andrews Mustangs. Shaud would eventually sign as a running back with Texas Tech with Spike Dykes, then leave when Mike Leach came to town. He eventually wound up at Alabama, and I've been able to play that card a few times, telling the locals in Tuscaloosa that I got to see him way back when.

Anyhow, anyone who knows me knows that I'm chronically 15 minutes late for everything, including games. And at the station where I started out as half of the full-time staff, I was now the full-time staff. So I never had enough hours in the day. Not a good combination for someone like me.

On this night, I was strangely ahead of schedule, and arrived at a good hour to get ready for the Friday night broadcast. I found a booth, which seemed rather spacious, and started to set up. My control board, legal pads, dry-erase markers, all ready. Everything in its place. I felt good about the upcoming broadcast.

Then the Andrews broadcast team showed up and proceeded to tell me that I had set up in their booth. Swell. It was four against one, and it was *their* home, so I had to pick up and move to a broom closet of a broadcast booth, where things were suddenly much more cramped, and my broadcast partner, Mel Gierhart and I were basically shoulder to shoulder. And I ran about 75 feet of cord for my crowd mic, and the closest place to put it was the entrance to the press box, where we heard the crowd, sure, but everybody coming and going.

So I kind of felt like a moron. It's one of those things I wish I could do over.

As for the game, Andrews took the opening kickoff and absolutely drilled the clock, taking the opening possession down the field for a touchdown, taking ten minutes off the clock, enroute to a 35-7 win over Levelland. I don't remember the number, but I'm sure Shaud Williams had a nice game.

One other quick story. LHS played Estacado on a Thursday, due to field availability. So that left an open Friday for us, which we filled with a broadcast of Sundown at Hale Center. Roughnecks vs. Owls. I don't really recall much about this week 10 matchup, other than seeing a great friend from college at the game. Jacky married his college sweetheart and moved to Midland, where he was on the coaching staff at Lee High School, helping with the first steps of the football career of some guy named Cedric Benson. But by now, I think he was coaching at Greenwood HS, and was up for a scouting trip, since the playoffs started next week.

Anyhow, he poked his head in the window and scared the crap out of me, which was (and still is) completely in character. I responded by threatening to put him on the air at halftime. I believe Sundown beat Hale Center and made the postseason. We did the SHS game the next week, at Denver City, where they lost a lead late and fell in the first round.

So-- that's all for Woodrow's Tales From the Broadcast Booth. More to follow.

Podcasts

2011-04-07T10:43:00.002-05:00

I'm taking an intro to accounting class at the University of Alabama, Tuesdays and Thursdays. 9:30 and 12:30. I'm enrolled in one class but not the other. I started the spring semester taking two classes and working two jobs, which left very little time to spend on schoolwork or with my wife. The first casualty was Calculus I, nearly two months ago.

So there became a void, which I filled by finding an accounting class to sit in on, hoping to pick things up a little faster. And it was on the way to this class that I heard a Writer's Almanac podcast by Garrison Keillor (yes, *that* Garrison Keillor). He briefly discussed a writer, Donald Barthelme, who said to write what you're afraid of.

I've not been able to find anything that could expand on the meaning behind that phrase, but I did find meaning in it.

Because while I feel I've carved out a bit of a niche for myself in Alabama and have more of a sense of stability these days (in contrast to the months following our move to Tuscaloosa), I still look around and wonder what direction to choose. Accounting doesn't feel like it. I've picked up a little work doing high school hoops and baseball for some folks around here, but I've been ready to make broadcasting a second option for a while now.

So I'm searching for something. I don't really know what to look for or where I'll find it. I just know I'm trying to get out there and learn things and meet people and see what happens. Maybe that's what frightens me. The unknown. Fear of what I could find. Fear of how I perceive myself and how I blend into the world, and how that perception hinders my progress.

I don't really know if any of this makes sense, as it's more of a spontaneous post today, but these are the things I think on-- it's how I feel and where I'm at right now.

Yeah, yeah.

2011-04-05T22:18:00.003-05:00

Okay, so it's been three months since I posted here. Really busy around here, and much to catch up on. Work, school, basketball, baseball, etc. Hopefully I'll get to it all.

But that third day in New York for the my inaugural K-State bowl trip was as awesome as the previous two. We walked from our Chelsea hotel with some of Ann's friends (she knows someone everywhere, it seems). Cafe Martinique (just off Broadway, between 31st and 32nd), followed by a brief trip to a snow and icy Central Park, and then off to the Bronx for pre-game.

The bar the KSU types had reserved apparently got a better offer from the Syracuse crowd, so we were adrift for beer. Went to the bar next door, which still had orange, just not as much. Drank a beer and then went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which is attached to the stade. And from the 'small world' department, we ran into a high school football coaching buddy from Kansas (he coached at Linn and just completed a run to the state finals with Hill City), as well as some folks from Randolph, KS, who were also wearing purple. Then I sang a verse of Wildcat Victory in the ticket line. And my dear wife, who sings with a group in town, a double KSU graduate, who got props from the AD, jumped in at the very end. That's it.

But we somehow made it to Monument Park and to our seats in time to see the K-State band do their pre-game thing. I watch their youtube video regularly, and to see them in person was music to my eyes and ears. We sat down the right-field line, at about midfield. The field was way the hell out there. But we had a great time. We even had some magic potion to help keep us warm during the game. It wasn't nasty cold, but cold enough to cut through you if you're sitting in it for four hours.

The element of the game that will be remembered most was 'the salute.' Adrian Hilburn scored a KSU touchdown late in the game to bring us to within two points (sadly, our defense also made the trip) at 36-34. Adrian's a military brat and thought it'd be a nice idea to salute the K-State partisans in the end zone seats. A game official decided he was cold and wanted to go home, so he flagged us 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. I missed it live, and didn't see the replay, but I did see it on TV afterward. I also saw no fewer than three celebrations during the Tennessee-North Carolina game that were worse, and also weren't called. So yeah, I thought (and will always think) that we got screwed. Ann and I couldn't really commiserate together, since we were enjoying things so much. We weren't gonna let that ruin our fun.

The next morning, we walked around the neighborhood, since we had time to kill before our plane left. School was out at General Theological Seminary, so the few folks that were there let us have the run of the place. Not as memorable as Trinity Church, but we visited the sanctuary where they've trained and ordained priests since 1817, including our own parish priest at Canterbury, Tuscaloosa. We also wore purple this day, and ran into a local couple who remembered the salute from the night before, and pretty much were in agreeance. Then a quick stop at Starbucks (they grow em on street corners in NY) and back to the hotel to gather up and go home.

Again, our flights were on time. We had no issues whatsoever. Our travel was so hassle free, we almost, *almost* felt bad for the folks who didn't make it. The rain in Alabama was something to contend with, and was the only weather-related issue for us. We made it home about 8 that night, and settled in for New Year's Eve. On the couch, together. A couple of homebodies, we didn't care if we didn't go out. We'd had our fun. What a trip.

Bowl Trip, Day Two

2011-01-10T22:26:00.002-06:00

I'm continuing the recap of my first KSU bowl trip, to NYC to see the Pinstripe Bowl.

Wednesday brought our first full day in New York. We donned our purple sweatshirts, shoes (yes—my wife has purple shoes) coats and beanie caps and went for a quick breakfast. Then we hit the subway toward Lower Manhattan. We wanted to see Ground Zero and, as we are both proud and practicing Episcopalians, also Trinity, Wall Street church.

Our first stop was the church. It got its charter from King William III in 1697. It's on some of the most expensive real estate in the country, located on the intersection of Wall St. and Broadway, and people like Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton are buried in the churchyard. The present building dates to 1846. We did a quick tour of the church, realizing that we'd come back for the 12:30 Eucharist.

So we headed off to Ground Zero and the World Trade Center site. This is hallowed ground-- I understand that. But if you didn't know where you were, you'd have a hard time realizing what happened there. We didn't have much time to look around, but it was a construction zone, and it seemed to fit. There was a visitor center, but our impression had been formed, so we moved on.

St. Paul's Chapel was our next stop. This was very powerful experience for me. George Washington worshiped in this building, which is not attached physically to Trinity, but most definitely is a part of it. St. Paul's was where 9/11 responders themselves got the care they needed. There were displays of pictures, letters, firefighter and police patches, mementoes and what not. And Ronan Tynan singing God Bless America. It all combined for a very moving experience. I understand that any church in that situation would have helped in much the same way, and that simple geography was likely the biggest reason, but I was proud that my church that stepped forward and played such a huge role in comforting others during this time.

So with that, we headed back to Trinity for the 12:30 service.

I find the Episcopal liturgy to be very soothing and very meditative. The same words I have recited in church as long as I have been alive. These same words in this sanctuary, from the mouth of The Rev. Mark Bozutti-Jones, who is black and 6'3" 260 with a voice to match, reached me at the very center of my being. Throw in his sermon on the Holy Innocents and include Holy Communion, and I crossed off a bucket list item. Truly a special time for me.

We then headed back to Midtown, got a quick bite to eat and headed off to the K-State pep rally. Since Ann and I left Manhattan for Tuscaloosa, the only way I got my KSU music fix was by watching the same band pregame clip on YouTube. Listening to the band play Wildcat Victory, Wabash Cannonball and others in this hotel ballroom for the first time in two years made me very happy. The cheer-babes and Classy Cats did their thing as well. After listening to several people, it was time to see the team. Unfortunate thing is, they got stuck in traffic and wound up walking the last few blocks to greet their public. They couldn’t stay long, seeing as how they still had game prep to work on. So the pep rally lasted a little over an hour.

We then retreated to the Sheraton Towers, the team hotel, for a few eight-dollar adult beverages and planned our next move, which was to find one of the KSU-friendly restaurants the alumni association publicized. It was a bit of a circuitous route, which took us past Rockefeller Center and the famous Christmas tree as well as Radio City Music Hall and Sak’s Fifth Avenue.

Massive throngs of people were out and about, since the cold had eased a bit, making walks a little more fun.

After a short time spent searching, we found The Australian on West 38th street. We were here as the last stop of the night, and to get off our feet for a spell. Interesting thing to me was that people with actual Aussie accents waited on us. I’m used to going to Old Chicago and being waited on by a gal from Overland Park.

Anyhow, we enjoyed a huge appetizer combo of wings, sausage rolls and pork pies. Yummy. But the kicker was dessert, Lamington Trifle. They brought a wedge of cake that was roughly the size of a two-story office building, and two forks. Now Lamington has chocolate and coconut frosting, two of my favorite things on earth. This was yet another out-of-body experience. Absolutely delicious. Beer, great food and football at this stop.

The only down side was having to leave.

We had to hit the subway home back to our hotel in Chelsea, stopping, of course to take a picture of the Empire State Building, which was lit in purple and orange, for the two teams playing in the game the next day.

Bowl Trip, Day One

2011-01-01T14:28:00.006-06:00

I'm trying to get everything written down while all this is still pretty fresh.

Tuesday, December 28th started at 3:30 AM, in order to catch a 6 AM flight out of Birmingham. I was a little bleary-eyed, but I wolfed down a slice of cold pizza and hopped in the shower and drove us to the airport. Pretty surprising to see it so lively at such an early hour.

Our flight to Charlotte departed on time, a first good sign, since they'd seen six or so inches of snow in the last 36 hours or so. Then we started getting a little jumpy, as we waited for the LaGuardia leg of the trip to begin. But there were no worries. Takeoff and landing were both punctual. A car service took us to our hotel in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in about 45 minutes. Snow removal did not start well in NYC, so it was a little slow. But not as slow as the alumni bus, which we hear took nearly two hours.

Once we unloaded and got fed, we headed north toward Times Square, site of a 3 PM news conference. It was a little crisp outside and we were just trying to thaw out and figure out what was going on, but next thing we know, KSU Athletic Director John Currie introduced himself and visited with us for a spell. He even brought our mascot Willie Wildcat over for a photo op, and mentioned my wife as part of his comments, noting her 14-year bowl streak (she's never missed a K-State bowl game) and that she's a double graduate. We both were pretty well charged as we went back out into the evening. Ann has friends who were negatively affected by Mr. Currie's decisions, but he couldn't have been nicer to us and went out of his way to be friendly. We were very impressed by him.

This was my first walking experience in New York, and the shell-shock wore off quickly. Perhaps NY gets a bad rap, perhaps I watch too much TV. Because there were legions of people out and about, but I was never scared to walk down the street.

Our next step was to find food. Remember it had snowed nearly two feet two days prior, and by now we'd been up about 16 hours on little sleep. So we navigated more than we walked, due to snow and the throngs of people who were out. Ann successfully navigated the subway system to the Union Square stop, which was an absolute swamp of ice and snow, and right when we were about to punt and just find food and go home, we found Gramercy Tavern, which is what we were after. I'm continually amazed at Ann's sense of direction, which was spot on.

So we grabbed a beer and started waiting for a table. 45 minutes later, we sat down and ate some awesome food. I had some pork shoulder, which was terrific. It truly was a great experience. The beer was also very good. This event may have gone on further, if we were closer to base camp and not so tired.

So with our bellies full, we got ourselves home close to 11 PM and looked out our window at the Empire State Building and went to bed.

What a day. And there was plenty more where that came from.

72 Incredible Hours

2010-12-31T23:33:00.004-06:00

About three hours ago, the wife and I returned from New York City, where we spent three days sightseeing and cheering on our Kansas State Wildcats in the Pinstripe Bowl.

And man, was it fun. In terms of cramming in as much stuff as possible, I'd have to say these were three of the best days of my life. There was the whole getting married thing, but then I started moving furniture the next day.

But we wore purple the whole time (it was the only color we packed), were thankful for good walking shoes, did some sightseeing, ate some incredible food, met some nice people (some of whom wore orange) and watched our Cats live for the first time in two years. And everything was on time and went well. It was truly a flawless trip.

It was worth every penny we spent. There were many times where I couldn't believe what was happening to me.

Anyhow, I'm painting the trip with a broad brush here, then later I'll spend some time going into detail on each day of our trip. We really had an incredible time and I'll relive these 72 incredible hours with you.

G2 and Basketball Shoes

2010-12-25T21:18:00.003-06:00

In the last week, the First Lady went hunting for new phones for the both of us. So, during a time of year when people buy these things for others, the wife bought us new G2 phones, officially getting us out of the era of having phones that only called people. Well, texting was also available, but you get the idea.

So I've spent some time figuring out all the things our new toys can do. Calling, yes, but learning about all the apps (new word) and ringtones that are available, as well as having the entire world wide web in the palm of my hand. I could become dangerous once I figure out how this gizmo works. Of course, by then, who knows what technology will be available.

And I've begun selling shoes at The Athlete's Foot. Not the TAF store I interviewed at, which was more of a running-centered store, but at a store where the bread and butter is basketball shoes. Basketball shoes, in fact, selling shoes for that matter, is not a forte of mine. But I did work at the store for four of the five days leading into Christmas, and the Thursday and Friday were particularly busy. I've learned a lot, and still have a long way to go. I equate it to my first days at Domino's back in February, when I was learning how to get a job done with no experience to call on.

I also get a chance to look into the eyes of people and see the calculus that goes on as they try to buy a pair of shoes, perhaps on a budget and where other factors seemingly come into play. I can still see the expression on a man's face who called and then came in asking about a nice pair of women's boots. He seemed to just want something nice for his lady. I told him we didn't have the boots in that size, and my read was that he settled for different pair. I could see his disappointment. Still do. And I shared it when I learned that we had the correct size at our other store.

So I guess I'm starting to see this as something besides selling shoes. Where it leads, who can say.

You Never Know

2010-12-14T23:24:00.003-06:00

There has been much to report over the last few weeks, and the more time that goes by, the further behind I fall. So here goes.

I interviewed for a job at a local running store, by now close to six weeks ago. I'd managed to move past the disappointment at (apparently) not getting the job, since I'd not heard anything from the company. I'd been rejected like this before, so I sort of assumed that this was how the world works.

Well, I'm trying to bang out some pre-calculus homework about three weeks ago when I got a call from the guy, saying they wanted to hire me! I was very happy, since I now had another way to contribute to my family, and to not do my schoolwork. So fast forward to last week, when I started at another location of The Athlete's Foot (shameless plug-- hey, it's my blog, and I *am* a company man), and not the one I interviewed at, which was more running-oriented.

So I'm selling shoes and delivering pizzas. The Domino's gig (cha-ching) continues on, and I feel like I'm doing OK-- finding my way around pretty well and even making a little scratch on the way. TAF is going to be a work in progress-- I had no idea that there were 3,846 versions of Air Jordans. I'm learning my way around the store, how to work the register, and how to sell. I'm pretty nervous, but I want to learn and support my wife, and this is a chance. The learning curve is steep for now, but I had a lot to learn at Domino's once, also, and I'm keeping my head above water now.

It just goes to show that you never can tell what's going to happen. Sometimes we get struck by lightning, such as I did that day. I'd turned the page and was looking at other options when things turned for the better.

And speaking of school, finals are done at the University of Alabama, with our hero earning an A in microeconomics and a B in said pre-calculus course. I can be very pleased with these marks. I worked my arse off in a new neighborhood doing a new thing. Oh yeah, and 13 years after I earned my first degree. I'm registered for intro to accounting and Calculus I in the spring semester.

And I did my first basketball games in nearly two years last week. Local TV access for a private school down the street. Not the same as radio, since the pictures tell some of the story, but it was pretty much the same as riding a bike. I still don't know where that'll go, but I've learned to not turn my back on anything.

I've made it this far and haven't talked about football at all. The First Lady and I are making our first bowl trip together at the end of the year, as Kansas State plays Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl. She's never missed a K-State bowl. We're both pretty excited about it and have been making plans to fill our three days in New York. It'll be my first trip there, but the wife is an experienced world traveler and travel guide. It'll be great fun. Besides-- given the football we've seen from KSU this season, their 7-5 ledger is pretty remarkable.

And my Miners are 6-6 and headed to the New Mexico Bowl. What the hell. It's a bowl. We don't deserve it, but there are more bowls than there are teams deserving them. I'm not really a Mike Price guy anymore. I'll support my team. I love my Miners. It's a character flaw, and I can't quit them, even if I tried.

So-- that's the news from Lake Wobegon-- where all the men are strong, all the women are good looking, and all the children are above average.

More to follow.

Church music

2010-11-21T21:37:00.005-06:00

The wife and I really love our church. Our priest, our Sunday School class, the people, the worship, the food... I could go on, but I think you get the point. We really like worshipping together.

An advantage of being a campus church is that there are lots of people with a ton of ideas and creativity, and the music is one way this is reflected. Now I *love* church music. It's music I heard growing up, and it is very reassuring and very soothing. Not really happy-clappy stuff, but music that penetrates my soul.

Our entrance hymn at church this morning was one of my favorites, and I've linked it here. I prefer this version, but the First Lady likes the melody, but with different words.
This video was from August 2009, and I'm sure we're in the congregation somewhere. Today's version didn't have the band, just the organist. Doesn't matter to me. This song is like a warm blanket on a cold night. Enjoy.

Pizza, vol. 3

2010-11-19T22:57:00.004-06:00

It's been a bit of a down week around here-- I had another good job interview for a job at a local running store that didn't work out. It was a job I could get excited about, had some upside, and was something I could believe in. Would've been decent hours, decent money and would've fit well with schooling. But I've not heard anything, which tells me what I need to know. It can be difficult, because it's not always about what you did wrong. I really thought I had a good chance.

So I've been rebounding from that, and have run only once this week, a 24:56 5K, good for a personal record by two minutes. I used to just show up and run a race at training tempo, but now I'm starting to get in there and mix it up to see what kind of number I can put up. I'm not an active racer for a few reasons, but this one was nice, and there's always a cool vibe at these events.

Three weeks ago, I decided to return to the pizza business again. While I was at Texas Tech, I worked at CiCi's Pizza from 1994-1996. Not bad times. It was a reason why I ate so well back then-- once you're off the clock, they let you go to town on the buffet. Once I found a place where I fit, it wasn't too bad. Plus, it fit with my other radio jobs at the time. I left because friends were working at a hotel in town, and I could make a little better money washing dishes.

One morning early this year, mid-January if I remember right, I took a stack of filled-out applications to Subways and to Domino's. The one place I got my foot in the door is where I went, of course. I also left there, at the end of February, to work at the Census office.

The Census gig, of course, ended in August, but circumstances have led me back to Domino's. It hasn't been too bad so far. My co-workers are nice people and are very helpful to a directionally-challenged guy who's new to the area. They know where everyone is, and they can look at an address and know what side of the road it's on, which way to turn, the color of the car, and the name of the dog. I'm exaggerating, of course, but they know the neighborhood. My learning curve isn't as steep as it was in January and February, since I've done this before. I'm picking things up a little faster. And it gives me a chance to contribute. It's not enough, but it's something. I'm pretty grateful to the store manager who hired me about five minutes after I walked in his store, and who let me come back.

I'm truly exceeding expectations in pre-calculus. I got a 92 on my test this week, which is the fourth ace (A) I've put on the board. I remember strugging with this stuff back in the summer, and didn't expect all this. It's hard to believe the semester is nearly over. Finals are just a few weeks away. I'm pleased with my results and my effort has been good. I actually get to take an accounting class in the spring to see if I might be a good fit.

And Now, For the Weather...

2010-10-26T21:24:00.002-05:00

The weather is a topic most people feel comfortable talking about, in the normal context of banter. "Boy, it sure is nice out here," is a common refrain. Rain, cold, wind, what have you. Even if it's what we *don't* have, we can find a way to work it in. When the wife and I moved to town last year, the rain seemed to pour down every Thursday or Friday. I remember, because I went out to help cover high school football last season, our first as Alabamians. If you didn't know what day it was, you could tell it was toward the end of the work week, because of the heavy rain that always seemed to come down. That hasn't been the case this year, which is OK by me, but I'm told we need rain, since we've not had anywhere near as much this year as last. But it's still gorgeous outside these days. Alabama sure does get a bad rap for the nasty-hot summers, but the fall and spring seasons are really nice.

Weather and football take me back to some fun times as a broadcaster. I have a million stories about covering games and how the weather tied in, but for now, I'll try narrowing it down to a city at a time.

Dateline: Canyon, Texas. Home of the Buffalo Bowl, aka Kimbrough Memorial Stadium, home of the West Texas A&M football team, as well as Canyon ISD schools. The first memory is a cold one-- bi-district playoffs (first round), Randall vs. Frenship, circa 1997. I was the engineer for the FHS radio crew, working on a cold and snowy Friday night. So cold, in fact, that the scoreboard stopped working in the middle of the third quarter. It was still on, showing 3rd and 7 on the 26, home 21, guest 6, but nothing could make it budge. Game officials, of course, keep time on the field, so that's all we had. Score was easy enough, but trying to gauge the time to go was a challenge. It even started snowing again after halftime. I-27 runs just east of the stadium, and you could see the taillights of the snow plows going up and down as they did their thing. Randall wound up winning, as FHS couldn't really do much with the football.

A few years later, I was the voice of the Levelland Lobos, as I came to Kimbrough for LHS/Randall, September of maybe 1999. We got through our pregame show and are about ready to kick off, when the skies opened up and it started pouring. A delay followed, everyone circles around the TV, because the local TV stations were in full-bore severe weather coverage. Soon after, the decision came down to play Saturday. It wasn't about to stop raining, and the hope was that the field would be in better shape by the next day. So I packed up and got in the car and went home in a driving rainstorm. Turned out I was one of the last to get south on I-27 before they closed it down. It's truly a strange feeling to be a broadcaster and not have a game on Friday night, but that's what I had that evening. So I went back up to Canyon the next day, and I'm pretty sure our Lobos were on the short end.

When you're actually in, um, the eye of the storm, decisions are being made quickly, and a lot of changing of plans is done, so at the time, it may not seem too pleasant. But now, I have some fun stories (maybe only interesting to me) to tell, and some awesome memories.

Concession Stands

2010-10-19T20:16:00.008-05:00

I've had some trouble finding full-time work since moving to Alabama, which is another story for another time. What I have found, however, is a concession stand gig at Bryant-Denny Stadium, home of the Crimson Tide. I've been at it for six weeks now, which doesn't tell the whole story, since I've only worked three games-- Penn State, Florida and Ole Miss.

The work starts earlier in the week, with the popping of hundreds and hundreds of bags of popcorn. My work has begun Fridays at noon, organizing Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and water for delivery to our six different stands throughout the stadium. None of which, btw, are close to each other. Different stands get different amounts, based on history. We put the proper amount in the tubs (I call 'em bobsleds) and start moving them on their way. Our base camp is on the club level and not close to much, but it is reasonably close to an elevator. Though said elevator is typically not active while we work.

This means moving five tubs full of 8 to 12 cases (24 bottles to a case) of drinks down the spiral ramp and into position for gameday Saturday. Fighting the tubs is a more accurate way to put it, since the bobsleds don't steer well to begin with, and when you add all that weight, well, it's a workout. The sixth tub is a tag-team effort-- it goes up one level, to the north end zone. One pushes and the other pulls. The entire evolution is done in two hours, though humping that tub up to the north end zone sure seems to take a while.

I should say that while we work, the grounds crew is painting the field for the game. Yard lines, sidelines, midfield logos, end zones, the whole nine yards (thank you, thank you very much). I just never gave it much thought. And for whatever reason, Bama chooses to go with natural grass, when the world is trending toward field turf.

Anyhow, on gameday, we arrive four hours before kickoff to send out the popcorn and ice the pop. I'm responsible for two of the six stands, checking to see if they need more product, more ice, etc. During the game, I don't have much to do. Walking from stand to stand every 20-30 minutes is the hardest part, because the seller and expediter (two-man crews) seem to have it all worked out. Though Saturday for the Ole Miss game, one stand was a person short, so I went and stood a post. It wasn't hot, and with an 8 pm kickoff (yuck) the temps were in the 50s, so we didn't move a lot of product.

At the end of the night, we move the tubs back up to the house, count product and head out. We stop at the end of the third quarter and are leaving about 15-20 minutes after the game ends.

So it's not hard, but it *is* long work. The down side is 8.5 hours of effort when the rest of the football world is watching games, tailgating and drinking chocolate milk. The cool part is being in the stadium for Alabama football for free, and getting paid for it. I've had enough off Saturdays to enjoy as the rest of the masses do, so it's not too bad of a deal.

And I still help with stats at the UAB football games. And I made a decision to work the Ole Miss game and miss the Blazers vs the Miners in Birmingham. It was a painful choice, but the right one, and not because UTEP lost.

It helps me keep my head up during this time in my life-- knowing that I *am* doing something. Not much, but a little. My wife, bless her, supported my going to see the Miners, for whom my love has been well-documented earlier in these pages, but income, no matter the amount, is a good thing.

So I know I chose correctly.

Story Time: Homecoming

2010-10-14T21:09:00.005-05:00

Things really haven't changed a whole lot around here... Still going to school, and actually doing pretty well in pre-calc, with a surprising 94 on my second test... Economics is still a work in progress. Still hunting for jobs...

So it's time for a story.

It's homecoming week at the University of Alabama... Ole Miss is coming to town Saturday afternoon. Never been a real big HC kind of guy. It's great for those who enjoy that sort of thing, but the thing I'm looking forward to most is the end of chalking every square inch of campus sidewalk with 'vote for X for queen.' I'll be working my concessions gig on gameday, so I'll see the game, work, and pick up a few bucks in the process.

I remember homecoming at Andress High School my senior year. I've never been a real active sort of guy, getting involved in a lot of activities, etc. But we in the orchestra decided to decorate a car as an eagle, our mascot. We went to Cynthia Vasquez's house on a Thursday night and proceeded to work on a red Oldsmobile with a white, vinyl top. Red and yellow crepe paper to resemble feathers... I don't remember what metal device we tried to rig onto the grill to resemble a beak, but this process took most of the evening-- getting the paper cut up and adhered to the car, coming up with a plan for the grill, etc.

Like I say, took most of the night, 11 or so. came home, went to bed and got after it the next morning, 6:30 or so, for final touches. Turns out that we got to school late with the car, so we were ruled ineligible. Swell-- we thought we had a chance to win whatever award was out there. But someone did drive the car around the track at half.

That weekend was also kind of the beginning of the end of my honors trigonometry career. I had a quiz that morning that I just absolutely tanked. Things kind of went downhill after that. I went to tutoring and everything, but it didn't seem to help. I was a statistician for the basketball team, so I had to get waivers from Mrs. Caldwell to be able to make road trips. The semester final was 10% of the final grade, and I figured out that I needed a 54 to get 5.4 points to pass the course and get my credit. I was never so happy for a 59.

So I never wonder about how much half a point is. Sometimes it's enough. It makes my success in pre-calculus all the more amazing. Have to work my arse off for good test scores, but it gives me a reason to believe that maybe I can evolve and shore up my weaknesses.

The Pink Pagoda in Seoul

2010-10-08T22:28:00.004-05:00

I've always been a fan of impressionists. I well remember when Rich Little or Fred Travalena would go on one of those cheesy 80's game shows, and I'd always laugh at their impersonation.

On one of my favorite episodes of M*A*S*H involves movie night in the mess tent, where the projector constantly breaks down. Klinger tries to fix it (in the dark) and a variety show breaks out. There's a Father Mulcahy sound-alike contest, some singing, and what not. And Major Houlihan, before her rendition of "c'est magnifique" is introduced by Hawkeye as, "the toast of two continents and the Pink Pagoda in Seoul." Classic TV, and I laugh every time.

Something else about that sequence is Radar doing an impersonation of Jack Benny. I'm not old enough to know much about his show, but I am a fan of keeping things like that alive, so I have a very limited knowledge through things like this. But Father Mulcahy played the piano and asked, "now, Mr. Benny?"

But Jack Benny's shtick was about always being 39 years old. It's relevant because I turned 39 this week, for the first (and hopefully not last) time. It was a day like any other day-- went to church for a men's group meeting and ran a seven-miler on campus (love the Alabama fall weather!). There are really several things I could say about being a year older, but I remember something my Uncle John said in 1994. He talked about being at an age where he knew he had lived longer than he was gonna live. Passed the halfway mark, so to speak.

That's about how I look at it right now. I'm halfway to 78, which, I guess, is in the neighborhood of the average lifespan of an American male. I guess I've accomplished a few things, and hope to achieve more in the years to come. It's starting to become pretty heavy stuff-- remembering when I was XX years old, thinking of the decisions I made, etc.

There are many more decisions to be made, and soon. Hope they're good ones.

Boy, the Way Glenn Miller Played...

2010-09-20T18:50:00.004-05:00

I earned a 92 on my first pre-cal midterm last week. I was very pleased. Worked my tail off studying last week doing practice problems, and went to the math lab for a Thursday night, 8:15 test. Intro to microeconomics is not going as well-- having a little trouble grasping concepts. Got a 69 on my first test in that class, week before last. So hopefully, things pick up a little.

Part of my econ class involves a Wed 6:30 pm lab, which so far has not passed 30 minutes in length. It takes me longer to drive to campus, park, walk, repeat than the actual lab does. Immediately following lab is team trivia at a local watering hole. A colleague of the wife invited me a few months back, and I enjoy it. She comes along now, too, as we recreate some of our old trivia magic.

A favorite question last week involved the car mentioned in the theme music to All In the Family. I sang the whole song (loud enough for my teammates only, btw) to get to the type of car, a LaSalle. Being able to pitch in was important to me. It's all fun, I know, and nobody keeps score of how many questions each team member answers, but I do like being able to pitch in. We'll be back there this Wednesday, too.

Job news: bad news, and OK news. OK news: I got a job as concession stand help at the Bama football games-- Friday preparation such as making popcorn and stuffing it into bags 700 times, lugging tubs and cases of drinks down ramps and into place for the next day's game. It's hot and sweaty work, especially in the Alabama heat, but it's something, but it's not often (yet), and it gets in the way of gameday. The hope is to land a more permanent gig, which leads us to...

Another job interview last Wednesday, and learning Friday I was not selected. Bummer. So I'm still working on figuring out which direction to go. Wanting very much to contribute, yet unsure of which way to turn or look. A lot going on for me these days, much to sort out and understand. Still very much upside down right now. Trying to look forward and give effort.

I'm still here, and I'll be around.

Take Two

2010-08-19T21:17:00.006-05:00

Today was the second day of school at the University of Alabama, and for the second time, my first day. I had an intro to economics course at 9:30 and pre-calculus (again) at 12:30. One problem with summer school is that four months of classes are condensed into one, and since I was so far behind the curve, I was in trouble from the start. I just didn't realize it. After a day of school, I do not have that feeling. Not yet, anyway. So I spent the day getting a parking pass, computer codes, syllabi, etc. I even had to get a clicker for my econ class-- it's used to answer questions in class, and by extension, take attendance. And pre-calc is the same as before-- everything done online. It takes a little getting used to-- this is nothing like it was when I was at Texas Tech back in the day.

It's nice to have something to focus on, to get another iron in the fire. There was a big disappointment a few weeks ago, on the job front. Not the end all, be all of jobs, but it would have meant stability and a chance to contribute meaningfully on a long-term basis and to give us a way to transition through the next few years. I interviewed for a job that I wound up not getting. Well, I assume I didn't get it, since nobody called to tell me-- I found out from the jobs site. I don't feel like I was treated well. But I'm pleased at how I've moved on and how I've let go of things.

The census job continues, but weekly hours are down from 40 to 35 as the workload has thinned out. Might last another week or two. I've met some interesting people and made some friends along the way. The hope is to find a campus job that can mesh with my classes.

And I'm also onboard to help with UAB Athletics for a second season. I've helped as a spotter for home football games, and as mentioned before, helped with public address (1MC for you Navy types) for volleyball, baseball and women's hoops, and this Sunday, women's soccer. Mr. Norm Reilly and his staff are nice people and have been very good to me, and gave me something to do when I had nothing to do after first moving to town last summer. I'm looking forward to it.

Decommissioning

2010-07-23T22:33:00.008-05:00

I reported to my first ship, the USS Benjamin Stoddert in February, 1990. I worked in the mess hall for three months, and made one deployment in 1991, standing three-section watchstander duty (which is worse than port and starboard duty, imo). It was an older ship, and it was decommissioned in December, 1991.

It's something only a crewmember can understand, having worked onboard, watching a ship, essentially die. I get a little worked up at times like those. I don't really remember much about the ceremony, I just remember being on the pier for it.

I've also been at the commissioning of a ship, my brother's, the USS Port Royal, in Savannah, in the summer of 1994. It's a very inspiring ceremony, and dad and I enjoyed it. So I've seen both sides.

Today, I said goodbye to an old, reliable friend. My old 1999 Chevy Cavalier finally went belly up last week. We'd spent over a thousand bucks fixing it last month, and the starter and battery cable it would need required another 900+, which we weren't willing to spend.

So this week, we cleaned out my car, took a few pictures and took off the license plate on the back and the custom UTEP front license and sold it for 300 dollars. That car took me a lot of places-- we saddled up and drove to Levelland, Hobbs, Big Spring, Clarendon, Midland, Odessa to broadcast basketball games in 1999, to Woodward in 2001 and Clay Center in 2002 for jobs, to Manhattan from 05-09 to see my girlfriend and to Alabama last year for a new life. Lots of stories, countless burgers and gatorades, and 133,000-plus miles. I didn't get all maudlin or anything, but it is the end of an era.

This week, we bought a new red Honda Fit for the wife. She really likes it, and has already named it Scooter. I get her Honda CR-V, which does have cruise control. It took me about an hour to reprogram the radio stations. So I go from being a Chevrolet man (1990 and 1999 Cavalier) to being a Honda man.

Heartaches, Hard Knocks and Things I Don't Know

2010-07-22T23:32:00.004-05:00

I'm a fan of Garth Brooks' music. I'm not hard core, fawning over him, but I do like his songs a lot. The title of this post is a lyric from "When There's No One Around," a song off his Sevens album. He talks about a man so immature but he's still my best friend, just one of the boys who gets lost in the crowd, and how it's four in the morning and a tape of his failures playing inside his head.

This song reminds me of me, a lot. I'm bad about lying awake and thinking about everything bad, wrong or embarrassing I've ever done, and how I still fight the battles of 25 years ago. I can still get worked up over things that happened eons ago, thinking of what I wish I'd done, even though the healthy thing would be to let them go and focus, really focus, on the future. And before you know it, it's time to get up and your blood is still boiling over something that's long since out of sight. And everyday it's a challenge to let go of the past, to release and forgive myself and live.

Which brings us to our learning experience of the week.

Wednesday morning I chose to drop my pre-calculus class at UA. It just got to be too much. I thought that throwing time at the problem, it'd work itself out. But I never seemed to get very far in terms of my assignments in relation to how long I spent on them. And I'd not had a math class or looked at algebra rules (GRE buildup notwithstanding) since 1994. In addition, all this was being thrown at me three and four lessons at a time during lecture. Not a lot of time to soak up lessons. When you add in that I'm working 40 hours a week at the Census office, it was more than I could take. I got home Tuesday night at 9:30 after work with three homework assignments and three quizzes to bang out, plus study for a test the next morning. I was tired and defeated.

We'll look at some things and rework the plan and move forward. I have the best woman on the planet in my corner, who is uber-supportive as I look for a direction to go in. If I could learn to fly, I'd never touch down.

Imaginary Numbers

2010-07-15T22:07:00.004-05:00

I'm a week and a half into my first college course in 13 years, and my first math class in nearly 17. MATH 112, Pre-Calculus, at the University of Alabama. Imaginary numbers is a concept I learned about this week-- i= negative square root of 1. Because real numbers didn't provide enough torture.

The idea was to take pre-calc in preparation for full-blown calculus in the fall. But re-learning math rules, and grasping new concepts in a condensed, fast-paced, four-week class is proving to be a challenge. Everything is done on the computer-- homework, quizzes, practice problems, even tests, but the tests are proctored and done at the math lab only. It's a really snazzy program. I just wish I picked things up a little faster.

So it's an uphill struggle right now-- it's an 8 am course (all they had-- ug), plus working 40 hours at the census office. And running. Doesn't leave a lot of time for much else. But I'm up for the challenge.

And at the census office-- more police work... Figuring out which set of info to believe. Things have thinned out there a lot-- people being released for lack of work. Thankfully, I'm not one of them. I still have a place to go, and people willing to pay me to be there.

So-- work and school, all wrapped up together. Busy times. It requires much giving of effort.

Bring it on.

Catching up

2010-07-03T09:37:00.002-05:00

It's been an exciting couple of weeks around here-- much to say and much to catch up on.

I'm now enrolled in my first college course in 13 years... Pre-calculus, MATH 112 at the University of Alabama. It's a sort of warm up for calculus in the fall, since I've not taken a math class since 1994. I'm not even sure if 2x3 still equals six. Right now, I'm an accounting major, but really I'm throwing things at the wall and trying to find something that sticks. If we find that I don't like accounting, we'll try something else. But a new adventure, and new adventures in math, begins next week. It's an 8-9:45 class, so coffee, lots and lots of coffee will be needed. And some painkillers too. I'm reminded of taking honors trig as a senior in high school, and getting a 59 on the final to get 5.9 points and get semester credit by 0.5. I'll have an excellent tutor, and more motivation (not by much) than I did in 1988, so I think things will go better.

And speaking of new adventures, two of my best friends from college, and on the planet, came through Tuscaloosa two weekends ago. Drew lives in Houston, and through the magic of facebook, reconnected with his former girlfriend Heather. Things have progressed rapidly for them, and Drew flew up to eastern Ohio to move her down to H-town to live with him. They stayed with us on their way south, and we had a great time-- good food and lots of stories, some of which are actually true, some of which are aging well with time. I'd not seen Heather since- 1996?- and Ann had not met her. Those two kids look great, and look so happy they seem to glow these days. It was great getting caught up and reconnecting with old friends.

Heather and I have things in commmon these days-- leaving a stable job with decent pay, picking up and moving to a new part of the country, with a lot of uncertainty. Granted, there's a lot of stability in both our situations, but much change as well. I strongly suspect she reacts to change better than I do. But I think we'll all be OK.

One Year Ago...

2010-06-13T20:54:00.002-05:00

This weekend last year, 2009, was the first weekend my wife and I spent in Alabama. It was a house-hunting trip, and a way to dip our toe in the pool. It was a pretty wild trip-- we left KCI Thursday morning at 6 headed to Birmingham and then Tuscaloosa, and we hadn't even made it onto that plane before we were told that we'd be delayed in DFW. Our plan was to be on the ground in Tuscaloosa at lunchtime Thursday, but Mother Nature wouldn't allow it. We stayed in the Dallas airport until about 5 that afternoon, at which time we rented a car and drove as far as Shreveport, after stopping near Tyler at a Wally's for essentials such as shirts, toothbrushes, etc. since our stuff was already checked through.

So we made it to T-Town Friday after lunch, just in time for our first Alabama gully-washer, and our dinner companions told us power went out at their house. We found an apartment we liked (still do!), and went back to Kansas and got married two weeks later.

This weekend, I've caught myself thinking on that four-day span... Thinking of what we were doing one year ago tonight, whether it be actual house hunting, attending church, sitting in the grocery store parking lot waiting for the rain to stop... you name it. But that was an entire year ago, and I've also pondered where we (and I) were last year, and where we are now. We were on the cusp of a great big adventure-- me quitting my job and Ann starting a new one, moving out of my apartment in Clay Center and into her house in Manhattan and further... and of course that whole getting married thing.

I know I get a little introspective around New Year's, thinking about where I've been and what I've done and where I am, and it's much like what I'm feeling this weekend. I had some good things a year ago, and I don't have those things now. But I do have a wonderful wife who makes me happy beyond words. And I have a lot of options in front of me, and chances I likely wouldn't have had if I'd stayed put. I don't know where the road will take me, and I'm pretty nervous about that, but it means I'm trying something new. Different variables mean different results. Who knows where I'll be a year from now.

In other news, I mourn the end of another playoff hockey season. I love the Stanley Cup playoffs, and getting my picture taken with the cup is on my bucket list. I love the passion and the urgency teams play with-- they used to play three or four overtimes and nobody would give an inch.

Something special I saw before game four at Philly was someone coming out to sing God Bless America. A Flyers tradition is to break out that song whenever the team needs a big win. Since they were down two to one in games, it fit. But what got to me is that they meshed Kate Smith's version (recording) with the gal who was singing. That was it. I just came completely unglued. Smith's version is associated with the team, and their winning percentage is astronomically high whenever they play it. It's tradition-- it's the urgency of the situation-- it's the 'we can't go down 3-1 in the series' feeling. It was really awesome to see that. And ya, Philly won to tie the series against Chicago, but the Blackhawks got past the jinx and won at Philly in game six to win it all.

And we're still running-- 28 miles last week, including a treadmill ten Saturday. It's officially hot in Alabama, and I don't see a cool weather outdoor run in the foreseeable future. But we're getting it done.

Oh yeah-- on the way back to Kansas the following Monday, our plane was delayed out of Birmingham, and I had to change a tire at midnight in the parking lot at KCI. Still steaming hot outside. A nice gentleman stopped by and shined his headlights on the event so I could see what I was doing. We got back to Ann's about 2 am. Ask us anytime-- we've got a million stories from that expedition.

Back to the Phones...

2010-05-30T21:09:00.002-05:00

My job as a bean counter with the census office has evolved into working the phones. People who didn't return a form by mail got an in-person visit so that they could be counted. Between 5 and 10 percent of those people get calls from people in my work group, checking on the door knockers in the field, making sure they did their job properly.

It's the calling thing that's, well, a bit of a hang up. Some folks, for whatever reason, don't take too kindly to being called by the government and pumped for information and make sure we know about it. The question isn't about the info they provided, it's about whether the job was done correctly. But some of the time it doesn't matter. Sometimes they hang up on us, other times they get po'd.

That's part of the problem for me. I don't handle things like that too well. I guess I only see my side of things-- being a guy who's just doing a job for a few bones an hour. The other side is someone who's having a bad day, maybe is already mad at the government or whatever, and has a representative of said government on the line. The thought of making these calls and asking these questions positively paralyzes me-- that these things could happen to me and ruin my day doesn't really appeal to me.

They tell you not to take these things personally-- that it's not me they're upset with. And I understand that. But it doesn't help much. It's a bit of a dagger to watch my coworkers do this work seemingly without such fear. I've done some calling, and it helps me to do it, since I consider it to be the 'heavy lifting' that has to be done right now. I don't want to let my coworkers down. There's still other work to be done, so it's not like I've done nothing, but I feel like this is my Everest right now. It's something for me to learn and to overcome, so I hope to get somewhere on this.

And in the news... I'm back to running a full schedule, after a few low-mileage weeks. 26 miles on five runs last week, including a nine-miler back on Saturday. I don't know if I'll find a half-marathon this summer to use as a training tool for the full marathon I'm planning on for December, but I'm running well and losing weight and looking and feeling great.

Found out last week I've been admitted to the University of Alabama for the fall 2010 semester. Still looks like accounting, since it's more of an absolute and less of an abstract sort of thing. Plus, I think it leads to more opportunities. Maybe broadcast is still in my future. Who knows. But this chance for more knowledge cannot be passed up.

Another Road Trip

2010-05-21T09:27:00.002-05:00

Last week, my wife and I put 1768 miles on her vehicle, as we drove back to Manhattan so she could walk in graduation ceremonies at K-State. I was excited for her, although not for all the windshield time. Ann, on the other hand, was more relieved than anything, as a five-year weight was lifted off her shoulders.

She picked me up at work Wednesday at 5 and we were on our way directly. Stopped in Olive Branch, Missippi (yes, I know that's not how it's spelled, but it *is* how it's pronounced in the South) for gas and to Jonesboro, Arkansas to stop for the night. We listen to a lot of podcasts on our trips, so the time goes by, and it was nice to listen to Cardinals/Astros when we drove through Memphis. Tuscaloosa is a dead zone for bseball on the radio, so I was excited even to listen to the Cardinal game, even though I had no vested interest.

We were on our way to KC by 8:30 next morning and got there by 3 or so, listening to more Cardinals baseball, though I didn't know there was also Royals game on. Wild thing is, the Royals fire their manager the same day we get to town. I thought it was spooky, anyway... Next morning, A got an early start, since she had logistics to tend to, and her mother, nephew and I headed for Manhappiness by 9:15. We went to our favorite restaurant, where the chili is as good as it has always has been, then to Bramlage for commencement. We had a great time seeing our friends and seeing the sights and consuming large quantities of chocolate milk, as we toasted the good doctor.

But as with most things, time travels too fast. Back to KC the next day for our niece's open house graduation thing. She's headed to KSU in the fall. We still think she's not a real teenager, since she's so (unusually) poised and thoughtful for a kid her age. We made it as far as West Plains, MO for the night. Pretty wild that we're starting to know this route from KS to Tuscaloosa so well. Got to listen to some of the Royals game on the way, though there was a rain delay and we were an hour further down the road (and further out of range) by the tme it came on. There's just something melodic and soothing about listening to Denny Mathews talk about a baseball game. We stuck it out as long as we could on the radio signal.

Her uncle Emory (whose wife Jean passed away in April) has a building named in his honor at Missouri State-West Plains, so we stopped for a photo op and then got back up the highway. It was cloudy most of the day, but the rain didn't unload on us until we were five minutes outside of Tuscaloosa. Made it tough getting the rest of the way, but I completely trust Ann driving.

So it was good to catch up with great friends, celebrate old times and get Ann graduated, and to listen to all our episodes of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (our fave!). But it was also good to get home.

I use a Runner's World training plan for my running, and the 16-week plan I was on ran out a few weeks ago. Last week and this week I've been sort of winging it (21 miles two weeks ago, 12 last week and prob 21 this week on five runs) since then. But next week we ramp it back up, as we start a plan that gets me into the mid-30's for weekly mileage. Still looking hard at a winter marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. I feel great about my running these days, and my body reflects it.

And we're also trying to ramp up the job search. A spontaneous (announced 11 hours in advance) midnight training session, plus trying to explain to family what I'm up to kind of lends a little urgency to things. I'm not sitting on the couch eating ice cream and watching the Price is Right, but I expect more of myself, and it stings a little to tell folks what I'm doing.

Two by two

2010-04-24T21:17:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning, I ran my first road race in quite some time. The first, I believe, since a 10K two Junes ago. This was a 5K here in Tuscaloosa, starting downtown and winding our way around the campus quad and returning.

After three weeks of gorgeous spring weather, there was a threat of severe weather. It rained the night before, and the action was already underway north of us. We were also early to the race. It was an 8 am start, and we thought 7:30. So we drove home to get Ann's watch. Got back in plenty of time, so we were fine. Then my dear, sweet wife tripped and fell right before the race, skinning her knee. So karma wasn't on our side at the beginning. But there were some 900 entrants, and a really positive vibe. The mayor was there too-- it's his race.

I knew I wanted to get in there and mix it up some-- I've usually treated races as training runs. Here, I wanted to see what I could do-- to battle and compete. And I was able to do just that. My first mile was 9:20, the second was 8:40. I liked that I was able to pass a lot of folks-- I've been working hard on my runs and getting in better shape, and it paid off down the stretch. I tried to move over to pass a guy and he accelerated to stay ahead. So I knew it was on. I waited until I turned the final corner and put the hammer down. He covered it and stayed with me for a bit, but a few moments later I looked over and saw I'd pulled safely ahead. It felt great. We were both positive in the finishers' corral, and each thanked the other for the fight-- we both passed several others in the process, so it was good for both of us. My time-- 26:44. I am very pleased with this time-- a new personal record by over a minute!

Now back to that weather thing. The first fat drops of rain fell as I neared the finish, and the skies opened up not long after, with lots of folks still out on the course, including the First Lady. Many finished the race under a thunderstorm warning. I don't want to say it was heavy rain, but I think I saw animals getting on an ark. I am proud of Ann for putting in the time and doing the work and then competing as she did when things were not working in her favor, and for doing something that a lot of folks won't do.

We chose not to wait until the 10 am awards ceremony, and we went back home. I still had eight more miles to go, since I was due an 11-miler today as part of my regular training schedule. So I hit the treadmill and got the job done. 27 miles for the week, including 5 mile repeats Wednesday for speedwork.

I feel great about my running right now, and it's about time for a new training plan and a new goal race, likely a half marathon. And after today, I'm ready.

Atlanta

2010-04-18T20:17:00.002-05:00

As mentioned, Ann and I celebrated (belatedly) the fifth anniversary of our first date, and the beautiful springtime weather continues in the South. I've lived through many spring seasons in Kansas and in different parts of West Texas, and I wouldn't trade any one of them for the weather I've experienced in the last three weeks.

So with that as a backdrop, I took off toward Atlanta to meet my wife. We were in the Midtown district, about two blocks from Peachtree Street, and a short run away from the Georgia Tech campus. Friday night, we ate at an outdoor restaurant-- good eats (sorry AB), featuring barbecued pork soft tacos. And we managed to find an Irish bar to consume large portions of chocolate milk. It was a great night to relax and be outdoors, and the crowd outside in the bar district reflected it.

There was also a Kelvin Sampson sighting at this bar. I assume it was, since I didn't ask for his ID. Ann saw him first, then I saw him when I went inside. Ann has no issues with these situations, since she's dealt with it before during her time in the hotel business. I keep my distance, figuring they came to this place (or wherever I see them) to spend some time out of character. But he and I did share a moment as I walked back to our table. I was walking toward him and he shifted his glance to me for an instant. As mentioned, I went on with my business, but he seemed like someone who has a lot of folks come up to him wanting something- a handshake, an autograph, whatever. He went back to his conversation when he saw me continue on my way.

Turns out, Sampson is an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. I ran ten miles in Piedmont Park Saturday morning and saw two guys running in Bucks t-shirts. I didn't know where KS was at these days, but it made more sense when we noticed that the Bucks were in town to play Atlanta in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Then it all made sense.

Speaking of the run and Piedmont Park, what a day. I actually ran eight at the park and two on the hotel treadmill. An awesome vibe-- some Atlanta skyline, much sunshine, and lots of folks walking about during a big craft show. It's hard to run seeing all these food booths, let me tell you. But the Atlanta Track Club put down a half-mile packed dirt track that's just awesome. I threw some minute pickups, comfortably hard pace, so my legs were pretty well shot the rest of the day. It was much different than running in the flatlands of Tuscaloosa.

That evening, Ann and I ate a wonderful dinner with my Uncle John and his wife Marianne. Terrific to see them. A great meal, some good wine and a lot of good conversation. One of the things I liked about moving down South is the chance to reconnect with family. We'd not seen other in nearly 16 years.

Sunday was church day, of course. Being married to Ann means no more 'off' Sundays just because we're on holiday. And this is a good thing. We attended the 9 am service at All Saints Episcopal Church. They advertise some 3,000 members, and it seemed as though most of them were there. Not true, of course, but a well-attended service. That there were five baptisms may have had something to do with it. An impressive church, to say the least.

Then it was another awesome meal, then back up to our hotel room to load up and head west back to Tuscaloosa. We listened to the Braves radio broadcast for a while, which made me wish we had a radio affiliate in our neighborhood. Just another great weekend

Brewpubs and Shalee Lehning

2010-04-15T21:50:00.003-05:00

April 15, 2005 is a great day in world history. One that will be remembered fondly. But it became special because of events before and after that day.

At my church in Clay Center, I was the only person my age. Everyone else had already raised or were raising children. Nobody single and unattached. So my priest sent me into Manhattan where a 20/30-something group was forming, to give people like me others like me to spend time with.

One event was a white elephant party. I remember getting my gift swiped about three times, and I also remember a Ricky Martin jigsaw puzzle. I didn't remember the gal shaking the puzzle, practically begging to give it away. Later that spring, we colored Easter eggs in the basement of the church in Manhattan. The same gal that had the jigsaw puzzle was there that evening, as well. She knew I covered high school sports and asked me about Shalee Lehning, a K-State women's basketball signee. I had the privilege of seeing her play volleyball and hoops, and I said that Shalee would look great in purple, and that a good decision had been made (a real treat to watch her play at KSU, btw).

I don't remember how long after, but I shot an e-mail to this person, asking her to meet me for a beer at Little Apple Brewery, a favorite place of mine. I thought it'd be safe-- if she wants to, she'll say so, and if not, she'll not reply and the game goes on as before. She accepted, and we set a date for a Friday night. I had softball games to cover that night that ran into extra innings, but I did make it in time for a Wildcat Wheat or three. I remember hearing her tell stories of the things she'd done and the places I'd been and thinking I had no chance. But she invited me to her place for dinner the next evening. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, after all.

The Friday night was April 15, 2005. And the rest has become a happy history of Ann's and my life together. She understood this thing way before I did, and was very patient while I figured out what was going on.

So April 15 has become a red-letter day that we celebrate as much as our anniversary of June 27. Well, I don't know that actually, because we've not celebrated an anniversary yet. I just know that LABCO became our favorite hangout (though the smoking ban put in effect helped wth that), and the church basement in which we colored eggs was the same church basement in which I waited for our wedding to begin.

Great times then and now. Hopefully more to come.

Ball games and ghost stories

2010-04-15T08:27:00.002-05:00

Monday, I went on a road trip for my job at the census bureau, driving to Ethelsville, Alabama. On highway 82, near the Mississippi state line. A very small town that doesn't even have a stop light. And I know because I looked. A lot.

But anyhow, I went to the community center there to pick up some paperwork. As with most things, the timeline didn't go as planned, and I had a chance to survey my surroundings. The center was very old and very small. I didn't think that to be out of sorts. But the center seemed to take me back to when it may have been built-- maybe the 1940s or 50s. There were a few stacks of old Baptist church hymnals there, whose hymn numbers didn't match what I am accustomed to as an Episcopalian. I found myself wondering about how many people looked at these songs over the years. Who they were. The hope it gave them. It makes me think about the people who came to the center and looked at those songbooks and heard church music on a now-dusty piano back in the day. There was a picture on the wall from 1971 showing who donated what amount. Some donated a buck, others ten, the banks a little more. But it totaled $650 and they found a place that sold them a Steinway for that amount. 40 years ago, this is what they were trying to do. I'm sure the center still gets used often, but it seemed to be a sad building in a town that's off the beltway. Surely if I spoke to an Ethelsville resident I'd get a complete picture.

It reminded me of a time in 1987 I believe, when I was an equipment manager for the Andress football team. We'd beaten Ysleta 10-9 on a late figgie. Our work was done and David and I walked across the quiet field in an empty, darkened stadium, though the guest 9, home 10 was still up on the scoreboard. It made me think of all the games the stadium had seen, and if it had a voice, the stories it could tell. The great games. The times kids from Newman Elementary next door came and ran on the track (and the time I skinned my arm). The times when we could get discounted tickets from Newman, when I was in second grade, and the time it rained buckets on us.

That was then, though, and I wonder about the stories that could be told now. The Carlsbad game in 1988 when there was a thunderstorm that took out some of the lights and forced a stoppage of play, after which we came back and won. A 38-game district winning streak. Battles against Irvin for the helmet. Beating Midland Lee 10-3 in 91 or 92, and tying them 21-21 in the playoffs that year, advancing on penetrations (before overtime became the rule). There are countless others, but I've been away for too long to know much.

Anyhow, a couple of good runs so far this week. A four on Monday at the UA rec center after work was a good one-- the Twins/Red Sox game was on, and it ended just about when I was finished. I find delight in watching ball games while running on the treadmill. Makes the time go by, and I try to 'race' the game. An 8-mile tempo run yesterday (six miles at 10:06 mile pace), and a three coming up this morning before I go in to work.

Saturday, a ten-miler is planned in Atlanta, Georgia. Ann is there for a professional conference, and I'm heading over Friday morning at the start of a three-day weekend. Really looking forward to it. The run, of course, and all it entails, but I'm especially ready for a night on the town with my wife Friday, plus a chance to see my Uncle John, dad's brother, whom I've not seen since 1994. He was unable to make our wedding back in June, for medical reasons, so I'm really excited to get together with him and his wife Marianne. I doubt we can catch up in an evening, but we're gonna try. Plus, the First Lady hasn't met these folks yet.

So there's much to look forward to.

Alabama Sunshine

2010-04-10T21:53:00.008-05:00

Spring has officially arrived in Alabama, and it's positively gorgeous outside. The weather forecast calls for more of the same. Temps in the 70s, light winds and nary a cloud in the sky. It's vastly different from the springtimes of my younger days-- much wind and much blowing dust. It reminds me of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and a great quote: How could I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?

Today I went and ran a four-miler at about 10 am. It would've been a crime against humanity to run on a treadmill, so I ran on the University of Alabama campus (I *did* like what the scale told me today, too). I took 2 1/2 circuits of the quad, about .75 miles around, and was just stricken by how beautiful it was out. Yes, I had my ipod going, but it was some of my favorite music. There was a 5-k race earlier in the morning (the First Lady and I are running in one on April 24), there were parents taking pictures of their small kids near the flowers at the base of Denny Chimes, kids were giving tours of campus, the SAE frat types were preparing for a shindig later in the day, construction work at the Pike house was going on, people were playing tennis, and there were ultimate frisbee games going on. There were so many people having fun or doing their thing on what was a great day to be outside.

So I joined the fun.

I went to my first Tide softball game and saw a big win, 12-1 over Northwestern. The softball team was one of the last three teams standing at the College World Series last season, and they're off to a great start this year. The facility is incredible, and so is the fan support. Ann has a student on the team, and the kid homered twice. Man, can we swing the bat. Five bombs on the day.

During my run I saw the soccer team would play at 4. Since the softball game ended early, I went over to the rec fields to watch some of the action. What appeared to be a big tournament was in progress, with club-level teams from across the South playing ultimate frisbee on several different fields, plus the Tide lacrosse team playing Georgia State. And the sun was still out. Man, what a day. Then it was over to watch the soccer girls go at it against Mississippi State. We scored twice and hit two crossbars in the first 15 or so minutes. We were ahead 2-1 at half when I'd had enough sun for one day.

Then it was off to a nice meal with Ann and then a trip to a yogurt store I'd never been to. You serve yourself and add whatever toppings you want, they weigh it and you pay accordingly. It was good yogurt, better since I added cookie dough chunks and houndstooth chips (only in Tuscaloosa, I tell you...) and there was a cool vibe in there too.

It was just a great day to be alive, and I'm thankful to have sense enough to recognize it and to have been a small part of it. Sunday is church and Sunday School, so there's a lot more to look forward to. Oh yeah-- more of the same weather is expected. Who knows what I'll find.

The Long and Winding Road

2010-04-02T22:11:00.003-05:00

The First Lady (wife) and I are in West Plains, Missouri for the night, as we head home from a whirlwind trip from Tuscaloosa to Cassville. There is no easy way to get to Cassville from T-Town. Once we get west of Jonesboro, Arkansas, the highway becomes very hilly and very curvy, making it difficult to make any time. I-40 is fine, of course, but the roads we've been on in the northern part of the state are not very straight.

So we left Thursday morning and got to Cassville about 6:30 pm. My wife's aunt Jean died earlier in the week, at the age of 85-- she's the woman for whom my wife is named. I could not do the deceased justice, but in a very short time, I've learned she is a very remarkable woman who worked hard to make her corner of the world a better place. A 50-year cancer survivor, Sunday school teacher and successful businesswoman are just a few of the things that describe her. There did not seem to be much grief; she had been ill for a while, and my read is that her family is relieved that she is not suffering anymore.

And I once again said hello to her husband, Emory Melton, a six-term Missouri state senator. He and his wife were married nearly 61 years. He also seemed to 'wear it well,' though I can't say I know him well. But I wish I did. At the first of the year, I mentioned I finished the biography of Harry Truman, another great Missourian. I wish Emory would put some thoughts of his on paper, so I could learn about and from a great man. Ann's and my challenge is to write to him regularly. I hope we meet this goal.

Attending a funeral today meant I missed my appointment with the GRE test. This is something I'm OK with. Sometimes there's a greater good, and there are some things that are more important than others. I did learn some things while doing all that studying and writing. I'm reminded of a decision-making process a friend of mine used on me when I was facing a choice: what will I remember most in five years? It crystallized the choice for me, and I don't regret coming for one second. It means we're approaching another fork in the road (always take it, btw), and we'll think a little harder on the graduate school idea, or maybe even getting another undergraduate idea. GRE was a bit of a hasty decision back in January. Maybe this lets me take a little bit of a better shot at the target and to figure out what I truly want to do.

Now it's Friday night, and we finish our trip Saturday. And I don't regret the decisions. I even relish the chance to meet more of Ann's family and to become more connected with them.

Tournament Time

2010-03-30T21:55:00.002-05:00

It's been a wild couple of weeks at the house, mainly because of hoops. KSU and UTEP both made it into the NCAA Tournament, and the wife and I both had a great time watching. But KSU came within an eyelash of making it to the Final Four, losing to Butler just a day and a half after playing 50 minutes (2 OT) in a win over Xavier. I know I felt really excited during the games and in the days leading up to the games, and it was differnt watching a team I truly care about do so well, yet deflating to see them go down. It sure was a great season, and we both enjoyed watching. Yet my dear wife understands (and I am starting to *get*) that it's really not that important in the grand scheme of things. We drank too much chocolate milk that night, but we weren't ready to go play in traffic or anything. It's supposed to be fun.

And for those of you scoring at home, yes, the same school knocked out both my teams. I'd like to personally thank Butler for pulling my still-beating heart out of my chest and stomping on it. Thanks guys.

And more on the Miners-- Tim Floyd is coming back to El Paso as our new head men's basketball coach. The man sold our program to kids from all over the place between 1977 and 1986, some of the better years of my memory, and the time during which I learned to love the Miners. Coach won two Big 12 titles at Iowa State. He got players to come to Ames, Iowa to play ball, and he's coming to coach my team. I wish hoops started tomorrow.

I know, too much talk about basketball. But I think it's of the healthy variety-- keeping it clean, being positive and having fun.

Anyhow, I ran 22 miles last week, and have 23 on the agenda for this week, including a 10-miler on Saturday. Hitting the weights some (but not to excess) and getting good runs in, albeit at a slower pace than what I'm used to. The speed will come in time. The weather's starting to warm up a touch here in Alabama, so I need to run outside before the heat and humidity crank up. Springtime has been pretty nice so far.

The high cost of being a fan

2010-03-18T22:01:00.005-05:00

I took half of Thursday off from my census job to observe what should be a national holiday-- the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Sure, it's a big NCAA cash grab, but it's fun, moreso than the Super Bowl. I'm not paid for taking this time off, but I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

Fortunately, UTEP and Kansas State both played Thursday afternoon. KSU pretty much took care of business and beat North Texas, so they'll move on and play BYU, a team for whom my hatred stretches back nearly 30 years. The Miners and the Cougars had some epic battles on the basketball floor in the 80's-- games that cemented my love of the Miners.

UTEP's first-round game was with Butler. We were a 12-seed, apparently one of the last teams to get in. We played well in the first half, but decided not to defend the three-point line in the second half, enroute to a 77-59 loss. Words cannot describe the crushing sensation I felt watching the last seven or so minutes. Laying an egg in the Big Dance and losing in much the same way we lost to Houston in the finals of the conference tournament. It reminded me of watching the GMAC Bowl game against Toledo several years ago. Very painful.

So I felt much the same way today as I did after UTEP lost in the NCAA Tournament to Utah in 2005 and Maryland in 2004 (though I made that trip to Denver and had a great time). But it's a good thing, in a way. I LIKE that it hurts deeply. I LIKE that it costs something to be a Miner fan. I LIKE that it requires an effort and an investment to support this team emotionally. I don't have a good reason for why I like these things-- maybe that it reminds me that I'm alive, that it makes enduring things easier or makes life's challenges easier, I can't put my finger on it.

Maybe it's finding something positive in everything. Like that my team is the regular-season conference champion and won 25+ games, that they made it this far and that I got to watch them play, and that a talented group of basketball players chose to come to El Paso and represent the city I love, and try the best they knew how. Maybe it really *is* just a game.

But one thing I can put my finger on is that this thing of not letting these things govern my life is gaining strength, especially after today. I'm still able to breathe normally and not let the immense disappointment crush me and remember that it's supposed to be fun.

The People's Republic of Boulder...

2010-03-14T13:30:00.003-05:00

... is what Boulder, Colorado is affectionately known as. It refers to the free-spirited way of life the locals have, as though it's an 'island' within the rest of the state that's kind of it's own separate entity. Boulder is also where Ann and I took our first trip together, back in the summer of 2005. We really had a lot of fun and drank a lot of chocolate milk on Pearl Street, went to a Rockies game (against the Phillies, on a sunny Sunday), and even went to the Episcopal church there. We learned a lot about each other on that trip, too. The drive from Clay Center to Boulder is a great way to learn just how much of western Kansas there really is.

Another Pearl Street memory is the time we went to a Japanese restaurant and I decided to try sushi for the first time. It was a negative experience. Ann ate the rest of the sushi, and she then took me for a buffalo burger and more chocolate milk. The tie in is that we went for sushi Saturday night at a nice place here in Tuscaloosa, and I liked it better than the first time. I always have trouble handling chopsticks, so that was part of the fun.

The evening out was a good way to take our minds off of basketball. Yesterday was not a good hoops day. My Miners lost to Houston in the finals of the conference tournament, as did Kansas State. Bummed, yes. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. But I'm learning to not let these events define me or the rest of my day. After the UTEP game, I went and had a good five-mile outdoor run, and after the Cats game is when we went out for sushi. I call it under-reacting-- reacting the way you'd want to. Not flying off the handle and getting cross-eyed pissed off over a ball game. Embrace the joy, yes, but don't let these things run or even ruin your life.

I've started to feel this way in the last month or so, and I like who I'm becoming because of it. I still love my teams, but not getting all worked up and upset over a loss. Let's face it-- rooting for a team or teams is a recipe for trouble. Things very rarely end well, such as with a crushing loss, or if it's been a bad year, a series of them. Losing is a big part of being a fan, and it's something that we would all do well to adjust to, and it's something I'm happy to say I'm learning about.

So we're ready for selection Sunday, and to see where and who the Cats will play, and also where the Miners might go. They missed the automatic bid, but it's thought that they're in. I hope that's correct.

Gubmint job

2010-03-06T10:10:00.002-06:00

I started my new job as a clerk at the local census bureau Monday. 40 hours a week. A steady paycheck, at least for a while. I check the binders to make sure everything's in there that's supposed to be in there. I've met some interesting people so far, so the conversation has been good. There are some really smart people there, also. One guy is from Wichita Falls and has a double major in English and Spanish plus a law degree. A coworker was a high school English teacher before she got downsized for lack of tenure. One gentleman worked for the phone company for 36 years. Another just got his marketing degree at Alabama. So I'm learning my way around a new job for the second time in just over a month. But we're starting to catch up a little. I'm starting to think a lot in terms of flow charts now, though.

It also means I get nights and weekends back for the near future. Last night, Ann and I saw The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan at the UA theatre. The theatre itself is very small, reminiscent of the community theatre we left behind in Manhattan, but the students there worked their butts off and put on a great show. It's difficult to understand the exact plot when there's so much singing, but the synopsis in the program helped. It was really funny and I had a great time.

I also added about seven or eight podcasts to my free subscription list in itunes. Most of what I listen to is from public radio. I learn something, and I just feel smarter for listening to their programs.

And speaking of radio, I made a bit of a startling discovery, music-wise, while I was in the car delivering pizzas. And that's what passes for 'oldies' music these days. I used to be able to turn on the oldies channel and get a Motown or British Invasion fix when I needed it. Now I can hear Boston and the Eagles on 'the true oldies channel.' It reminds me of my middle age, when stuff I grew up with is at least 25-year old music. Not a bad discovery, just a bit of a startling one.

And I'm about to head into Birmingham for UAB baseball, where I said I'd help with PA. I did a doubleheader last Saturday, and today, it's a single game. More of a challenge doing baseball.

Eight Mile...

2010-02-27T22:08:00.002-06:00

is a town in Alabama somewhere. It's also the distance I ran this morning. It was a great run. Effortless. My new friend the ipod and I are getting along well on our runs-- podcasts are a good thing. And so are Boston, Devo, the J Geils Band and Brooks and Dunn. The eight miles took 90 minutes. 19 miles for the week. I really should think about finding a 5K or a 10K some time soon.

After I ran, I went into Birmingham for UAB baseball, one of three dates I said I'd help with public address. They swept Ball State, 6-0 and 10-9 in 12 innings. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to a ball game prior to today. We sat inside, in a nice, warm press box on a 55-degree day with north winds about 10-15. There was a hardy crowd on hand in parkas, blankets, coats, you name it. I found myself reminded of broadcasting baseball once in similar conditions in Kansas, except colder temperature-wise, and more wind. My fiancee (wife, now) brought a blanket for me and really saved the day. It was fun, but I wanted to go home after a while.

Sunday is my last day at Domino's. It's a bit of a bummer, since now I'm finally starting to learn how to work there. The people I work with are nice folks. My job at the census office starts Monday. I'm looking forward to having my evenings back, and to making plans (or not) for the night. It's a 40-hour work week, so it'll make GRE study time a challenge. But we'll get there. It's just nice to have some direction in my life.

And K-State and the Miners both win! UTEP definitely has the inside track for a conference championship and a trip to the BIG DANCE!

VOCATUS ATQUE NON VOCATUS DEUS ADERIT

2010-02-21T14:40:00.002-06:00

This is a quote on Carl Jung's tombstone, a quote I'm told he believed in very deeply. It means 'invoked or not invoked, God is present.'

Now I don't presume to understand the quote's deeper meaning, but this line came up in our Sunday School class. I really like this class, as does my wife. We don't really go into the Bible, or the lessons for the day-- we spend 45 minutes going over one or two questions in our Book of Common Prayer, and let things take us where they will. Today I learned about a black man in a church in 1866 Virginia, who went up to the communion rail and was alone, until a man came up and kneeled with him. Robert E. Lee was the second man. We enjoy the class, the people and our church very much.

I got a new (for me) ipod this past Wednesday, and I'm excited about the possibilities. I had a shuffle before, but I found it very temperamental. This new dude rocks. I can take my podcasts and my music along when I drive into Birmingham, or on my runs, which was helpful during yesterday's seven-miler. Started listening to one podcast, and liked it so much I switched to another one. And when it was done, I listened to five minutes of music. All right there on this little ipod.

I ran 17 miles last week, and 19 miles are scheduled for this week. My injured calf seems to be holding up well. I'm running 11:20 mile pace, which is much slower than what I'm used to, but these runs are getting me in shape.

GRE test preps continue-- test is April 2. I'm remembering why I had so much trouble in algebra in high school. Multiply by 1/x, etc.

And I got a job at the census bureau, which starts March 1. It's a temporary job, and I'll stop working at Domino's, but the census pay is better, and it's a day job. Delivering pizzas is OK, the people are nice and I'm starting to learn how to work there, but it's second-shift work, so I'm working 5-10 a lot of evenings. This takes me away from my wife, as well as from things we like doing. The question of 'what's on the other side of the census job' will be answered in due time.

More to follow...

Still here...

2010-02-10T23:25:00.002-06:00

With the whole 'new job' thing going on, I've been a little preoccupied with learning a new routine, at home and on the job.

At home, I continue to do a lot of running, though at a slow pace. It's what the training plan says to run, so I run it. It's a strategy that's been good to me before. And my GRE exam is April 2, and I've been studying for that in earnest, and learning all the things I don't know, and re-learning things I needed 20+ years ago. Isosceles triangles, algebra, antonyms (but with $5 words), and such. I'm just working on getting there a little at a time. The hope is to get into grad school and pursue a masters degree. Library Science? Who knows at this point. But I'm still at peace with leaving radio behind me as a closed chapter in my life.

And at work. It's been an adjustment, to say the least. I like having a little more structure to the day, and I like being able to save some money. Driving pizzas around means knowing the area in which you drive, which is a disadvantage for a new person in town. But I think I'm getting a little better. And when you're not driving, you pitch in in the store. Cutting and boxing pizzas and working the drive-thru window are things I think I'm starting to get better at. Taking phone orders and entering info into the computer have been works in progress. Yeah, I had a bad day a few days ago. I'm learning, though, and it's been two weeks today since I got hired. My coworkers have much, much more experience than me, so they're who I compare myself to, and they're who my superiors are used to working with.

The New Guy

2010-01-31T13:35:00.005-06:00

You never know just how fast things can change.

I went to bed Tuesday night feeling bad. Not illness, but with the feeling that I was not helping in any way financially-- being a drain and a stress on my wife. So Wednesday morning, I pressed my slacks and a nice shirt and went hunting. I think it was my third stop, when I walked into a Domino's Pizza store, and about 20 minutes later (what, not 30?) left with a job.

So I'm doing that which I never saw myself doing-- something I was unwilling to do until recently, when I realized that I had to get going. Friday was my first day, this evening is my second. Much to learn, and ya, I'm a little nervous and scared, but it's also an opportunity. A chance to make some money and earn a little freedom for my wife and me. And maybe even buy a toy or two.

That evening, I also applied for a job with the Census Department. Basically just a cattle call, looking for door knockers/census takers and office workers, all on a temporary basis. Filling out an app and taking a test. I scored perfectly on the test (*much* to my surprise), and am getting veteran's preference points, so we'll see how that goes. I'm told office jobs are far and few between.

And yesterday, it was into Birmingham for UTEP basketball, against UAB. Good guys won in double OT. What a game and what an atmosphere. I saw right in front of the UAB student section, along the baseline, and heard some of the most pathetic taunting I've ever heard. All good fun though.

It also gave me a chance to say hello to Jon Teicher, the longtime voice of the Miners, also a friend of mine and a gentleman who has been kind enough to let me add his name to my reference list. He is the reason I got into broadcasting-- I used to listen to El Paso Diablo baseball on the radio as a kid, as well as the UTEP games. I think one time he stopped to talk to my dad and me-- I guess he was doing a little PR work and asking folks about the stadium and atmosphere. My dad talked-- I was like nine, and could barely speak.

Anyhow, I caught him during a postgame commercial break, so he was still at work, but he couldn't have been nicer to me. He remembered my name, shook my hand warmly and asked me how it was going. I told him I was looking to go in a different direction, and he explained how hard it is to break into the business, how he'd been talking to a friend of his in the profession, and talking about how there are so few jobs, so few jobs coming open and so many people on the prowl for the openings that do come up. So he was understanding, and told me to keep him posted. It was a short but warm conversation, since he still had a broadcast to tend to, so I went on my way. But it was important to me to stop by, and he was most kind.

Two Points

2010-01-24T20:47:00.007-06:00

When I was a senior at Andress High School, I helped with statistics for the varsity basketball team. One night at Irvin I filled out the scorebook, entering our players' names into their book. Things went well enough after that, until one of our guys tried to enter the game but wasn't in the official book, because I accidentally wrote the same guy's name down twice. So we got a technical foul called on us for my mistake, and our coaches couldn't apologize to the referees quickly enough. Lost to the years is whether Irvin made the shots. I've always said they made one of the two, but who knows.

Sunday, I 'scored' two more points.

Since we've moved to Alabama, I've had the privilege of doing some of the PA work at the UAB women's basketball games. It's different for me, but it's fun, the people are nice and nobody throws anything at me. This afternoon, Houston came to visit. During play, the Cougars had a player spin into the lane and get fouled on a shot attempt. One official had the foul, but none of the three knew for sure whether the ball went in the hoop. I was watching the play from my seat at the scorer's table, and it very clearly went in.

So the game officials met to discuss the issue and apparently couldn't say with certainty, so they came to us for a consult. The gal to my immediate right keeping the official book didn't see it, but I did, and I said so. Then the next thing I see is the official signaling 'basket good,' and for UH to shoot a free throw. It was the correct call, and nobody raised a fuss, but I was taken aback at the influence I just had on the game. Later, during a brief stoppage of play, a member of the officiating crew stopped by and thanked us for our help.

What made it more important is that Houston won by one point, 63-62.

A similar thing happened earlier this season, when they didn't remember how many free throws were supposed to be awarded. I had it right and announced it correctly, but they had something different in mind. They made the correction and the game went on as before. We got a brief 'thank you' later toward the end of the game.

I try very hard to not be critical of referees or umpires during games. I think their work is very difficult. They're there voluntarily and they're paid, I understand that, but it's hard work in a very fast-paced and unforgiving atmosphere, and I'm more inclined to cut them slack. Being at the scorer's table, even on the home floor, means I'm a neutral observer, there to help the officials. It's a cordial relationship, maybe even a friendly one, and it allows me to see them as people and not as targets to spew venom at. A lot of times, they walk by us for fist bumps at the start of the game.

So I cut 'em a break.

3/5

2010-01-19T20:42:00.005-06:00

Monday, my wife and I observed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day by driving two hours to Montgomery, Alabama to learn more about a few sad chapters of our country's history-- chapters we all would do well to read and learn about.

We started at the Civil Rights Museum, which is attached to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and we were in awe immediately. There is a memorial dedicated to the many who died during the civil rights movement, as well as the Wall of Tolerance with a quote from Dr. King. Very moving stuff. Hallowed water flows over both memorials, one was the wall, and the other resembled a sundial without the centerpiece. Seeing the events and seeing the names of people who were killed for no good reason, and that most of the time there was no justice and no accountability, made me very sad, and embarrassed to be the same race as the aggressors. And in thinking on the courage on display by those people, made *me* feel like 3/5 of a human being, knowing I very likely would not have that kind of courage.

We also walked down toward the state capitol, where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as first President of the Confederacy in 1861, where the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march ended in 1965, and came across a parade, which we stopped to enjoy. Lots of bands, lots of kids and a lot of fun. Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where Dr. King was the preacher, is a block away from the capitol. We stood on the street corner and could feel the history all around us. There was a vibe of hope in the air, and it felt wonderful.

Our last stop was the Rosa Parks Museum, in honor of the woman whose courage sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Another enlightening experience, well done, and informative. The heroism and the courage of the oppressed stands in stark contrast to the behavior and cowardice of others. I was (and still am) in awe.

I aspire to have *half* the courage of those who stood up for what they believed in.

Free at Last

2010-01-17T21:44:00.002-06:00

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sort of made this line famous many moons ago. I don't mean to cheapen his words, but it fits how I've felt these last few days.

I've pretty much severed my emotional ties to radio as a profession. I consider myself a play by play guy, and I really and truly love the number crunching that goes with preparing for a game, as well as calling a game for broadcast. The people I've met, places I've been, stories I've told, close scrapes and ass chewings are all part of the mosaic.

But I have come to the realization that I've progressed about as far as I can, given the skills I have. The actual prep and pbp are small percentages of the whole job, which includes a bunch of PR, glad-handing, coaches' shows and what not. And advertising sales. I have a friend in St. Louis who is prob better than me at pbp, who is selling his own games. Loves the games, hates the selling. If I were to move up in the profession, selling is where I'd have to go. I've tried sales before. I hated it, I wasn't very good at it, and I've made sure every job I've had since then has not had a sales component. Life is too short to spend any amount of it doing things we hate.

Plus, in clinging to radio, I'm clinging to thought processes I've had for 30 years. Radio, sports and pbp are all very different monsters from when I first wanted to call ball games. And being in sports and radio often mean sports talk radio, which means conflict at some level (no conflict, no listeners). I never have done conflict well.

So in coming to these conclusions, I feel free and liberated to choose the next direction my life takes, and how the next chapters will be written. And it doesn't have to be something I do for the next 30 years, either. Who knows what I'll think and who/where I'll be 5-10 years from now. The challenge is what direction to go. But somehow, I'm not as frightened as I was before.

And separately, I've printed a running plan for the next four months, in order to get my mileage back up. Looking forward to it.

14,220

2010-01-16T22:23:00.003-06:00

That's how many people attended last night's gymnastics meet between Alabama and Georgia. The defending SEC champs against the defending national champs. We had free tix, since the wife got them through a new faculty get together. We were warned that this is a big thing here in T-Town, but as with everything else we've experienced, we just had to check it out for ourselves. It was as advertised--parking lots were full and traffic in front of the arena was a bear. Event-wise, I didn't know what to expect, since I only watch gymastics every four years at the olympics. But I was wowed. The crowd was really into it, the 'game' presentation kept people interested, and the athletes were tremendous. I don't know how those girls do the things they do and bend themselves the way they do. There was a good pace to the events, and the crowd knew its stuff. And we beat the snot out of the Bulldogs. We had a great time.

Today we went to Bryant-Denny stadium to honor the 2009 National Champion football team. Cloudy and cool, but the rain held off til later in the night. There were about 20-25 thousand there. It lasted about 45 minutes, and we heard from the captains, saw really cool video stuff and what not. Had a good time here too. Have I mentioned lately just how much I hate Texas?

I've come to some conclusions, personally and professionally, also. And I feel free and liberated about these decisions. More to follow.

Dixie's Football Pride

2010-01-09T15:55:00.002-06:00

We spent Thursday night in the company of Alabama football fans, and we had much food, fun and libation, also much to cheer about, in a 37-21 win over Texas. I got to root for the Tide and against Texas at the same time. This is the first time something like this has ever happened to me, being in a town that's celebrating a championship like this. It was close to midnight but we drove to campus anyway to survey the activities. The campus was pretty quiet, but a quarter-mile to the west, it was different. People already in line for national championship t-shirts, just seemingly orderly gatherings, albeit with temperatures in the teens. It made it pretty hard to believe that Friday was a workday, or, at least, not a holiday or a weekend. It's the 13th national championship for the Tide. I'm happy to be rooting for a winner, although I don't have nearly as much of an emotional investment as our friends did Thursday.

My big thing of the last several days has been practice. I've been drilling on Microsoft Excel and Word tutorials, since I have skills tests on both Monday, and to pass both is required to apply for staff-type jobs on campus. It'll be about the fifth time I've tried the Excel test, and I've alreay passed the Word exam, but a higher score is needed. My wife really likes working on campus, and I'd like to work there too.

I'm really wanting to contribute around here, and try to find out what this stretch of my life is gonna look like, since I've started to understand that radio won't be part of it anymore. There are a lot of things mentally and emotionally that I just don't have. Work and going to school seem like good possibilities right now.

My running continues... three miles Wednesday and three more Friday. 30 minutes each time. I used to spend a lot of time trying to load an ipod, but I've not done that yet. I know running on a treadmill is pretty tedious, but I've spent a lot of time in prayer, and I'm getting a little better at it. Next week, four runs at three miles a shot.

And oh yeah-- been pretty cold around here the last several days. Not Kansas cold, with double-digits below zero and buckets of snow... I think we've made it as far as the low teens, so it's still pretty chilly.

I've also started playing a little chess again, against the computer. I give as good as I get on low skill levels, but what I find myself learning is that I have to solve these problems. I can get into a bind pretty quickly on a chessboard, and there's nobody to bail me out. It's my problem, and I have to solve it. I can't run from it-- deal with it by not dealing with it, as it were-- I've got to do something about it. It's new for me, and quite useful.

Football

2010-01-05T22:25:00.002-06:00

Been watching a whole lot of football this week... Glad Boise State won, but sorry they did it at TCU's expense. Both deserved a shot at the big boys. I'm very ready for the Alabama/Texas game. People seem to think that since I'm from Texas, that I must root for the Horns. But El Paso is not close to Austin. Actually, El Paso is not close to anything, except Alamogordo and Las Cruces. So I'm a UTEP fan, and a grad of Texas Tech, which is where this hatred began. So it's handy, one-stop shopping. And the Tide football program signs my wife's paycheck.

You may notice I've added several blogs to my 'follow' list. They're places I like to go, and obviously will tell you something about me.

My runs have been going well-- three pain-free miles yesterday, and three more set for tomorrow. Really focusing on a slower buildup. It's weird, because I don't have a running goal at this point, or a real training plan. Just to build miles.

I head over to the Bryant Museum on campus Wednesday, to volunteer one day a week. It's sports, it's history and the preservation of said history-- a perfect storm for me. Hopefully it becomes something more. We'll see.

Sunday

2010-01-03T21:20:00.003-06:00

Spent much of the day on the couch. The day started at 7:15 with a stomachache. Four tums tablets seemed to do the trick, but I stayed home from church, which was disappointing. Did feel better as the day went on.

I finished my book on Harry S. Truman over the weekend, so I started in on 'Our Boys,' which has Smith Center football as its topic. More to come on that book.

Listened to KSU hoops, and then to UTEP hoops-- a win for the Cats but not for the Miners. And I'm OK with it. I don't react well to losses by my teams, since these games have too great an importance in my life, and what they do has too much an impact on the rest of my day. So I did a good job of moving on today.

Also practiced on excel spreadsheet, which has been a big stumbling block toward getting a job. It's a way in which I think I can contribute.

And Monday means the holidays are truly over. Back to work and some semblance of normalcy. Back to advancing the ball and finding out which direction to go in.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:48:00.000-06:00

The end of one year and the start of the next is a great time for reflection. I think about what a difference a year makes-- where I was last year at this time, where I am now, and about where I'll be in a year. At the start of 2009, I was still working at the radio station in Clay Center, doing the same thing I'd been doing for seven years. Alabama wasn't even on the radar, though I knew what situation I was in, and that relocation was a solid possibility at worst.

But Ann interviewed in February, accepted the job not long after, we got married in June (after I quit my job) and moved to the Deep South in late July. It's funny what a difference a year can make. And the start of 2010 looks so much different than the start of 2009. It's why I'm 'outside the box.' There is nothing about my life that's the same as compared to the start of 09.

As for last night, I stayed up too late and drank too much chocolate milk with Ann, and I had a great time! We just camped out at the house and ate great food and watched TV. So many times before, we'd been traveling to and fro during the holidays, and it was nice to spend time at home without any obligations, or having to hustle somewhere. Now it's New Year's night, and we're parked on the couch again. Watched a lot of football. Some of it good, some of it, not so much. And ate hoppin john. Ann is absolutely a tremendous cook, and it's one reason (of about 9,428) why I'm so fortunate to be her husband.

Wednesday was the 30th, which was my parents' 48th wedding anniversary. There are a lot of things I don't understand about the relationship my mother and father have, but I do know they're still together after all these years and after all the things we've endured.

Went for my second run Thursday, on my way back from that calf thing. Three pain-free miles. Three more scheduled for Saturday.

I've also spent time today crafting the mission statement at the top of this page. I hope to adopt this as a pattern of life. Too often I've let things happen to me and let myself become a spectator in my own life. I intend to change that.

My resolution for 2010: to speak, write and think positively at all times.

Gone Running

2009-12-29T21:22:00.001-06:00

I went running today for the first time in about a month and a half. 30 minutes, three miles on the treadmill at the UA rec center. I tweaked my right calf the start of November, in the same spot I hurt it last year. Pain free during the run, and there are plans to ramp up the mileage much more slowly this time. Running inside, even though it's gorgeous. For every June, July and August in Alabama, I'll take the late fall and early winter. Been really nice. But it still rains a lot more than what I'm used to.

Last trip report: left KC Monday morning, southbound. Thought about stopping in West Plains, but chose to Jonesboro, Arkansas instead. The roads in Arkansas are very winding, so it's difficult to make any kind of time on them. Good thing I didn't call games there, for how often I've been late to games. Made it home form Jonesboro a week ago, today. Ann and I were very glad to get home, after a week-and-a-half road trip. Glad to get back on a normal schedule, sleep in our own beds, stuff like that.

The last few days, I applied online for some... wait for it... Joe jobs (thank you very much). Pizza Hut, Office Depot, stuff like that. Something to get a little extra cash flowing while I lean further toward a career change. But my timing is off, since who's really looking at this stuff during the holidays. And I bought a GRE prep book tonight, with the thought of taking said test to get into grad school.

Year in review coming up next.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T14:05:00.000-06:00

It's been a pretty special couple of days, what with that whole winter solstice holiday thing. Not our first Christmas together, for Ann and me, but it is our first as married folk. So it's very special for us. I'm happy to be done with traveling, and to be able to stay at home for the day. Especially since there's so much snow in the midwest. Reminds me of the times I drove in that stuff. Yuck.

Ann and I went to our first Alabama basketball game Wednesday night, against Mercer. They were selling five-dollar tix, so we went and had a great time, and we plan to go again next Wed, when they sell low-price tickets again.

Thursday, Christmas Eve, I just laid low, drank coffee, read some, helped pick up the house and stuff. I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time last night, and the Muppets equivalent today. Awesome stuff, and inspiring too. Haven't watched A Christmas Story, yet, but we're going to. And we went to Christmas Eve service at church, which is always special for me. Came home, listened to music, drank wine, and went to bed at 2 am. A very special time-- wished it could've gone on forever. Special times are what Christmas is all about now-- and I think it's terrific.

Also went and applied for a few jobs Wed while doing a little shopping. The first step toward going back to school. I just don't see a future in radio anymore. I can get a better-paying job and still dabble in it if I choose to. It's been, and will be, tough to let go emotionally of something I've always wanted to do, and have had the privilege of doing for the last 15 years. But my life is different now. I need to absolutely commit to this change, and I'm just about there.

And since Christmas/New Year's is a time of remembrance, I'm thinking about where I am now, where I was a year ago, and where I could go. It's pretty heavy, what with my being at a crossroads and all. I'll be starting a 'year in review' segment here pretty soon.

Road trip report: flew from KC to the Texas Hill Country via American Airlines, and the journey was free of incident, unlike the last time Ann and I flew the friendly skies, this past summer. Sean and Joanna are a great fit, and they were married at the Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, where she's from. I was honored to stand with him as a new chapter in his life started. Another of his groomsmen was a radio guy and got out, and is doing well-- gave me something to think about. I was pretty wiped out by Sunday evening, and I was very happy to see Ann again. I'll wrap the trip next time out.

Wednesday

2009-12-23T11:52:00.001-06:00

Getting some things done this morning, and more to do this afternoon.

What with all the road tripping we did in the last two weeks, it's been difficult for me to get in the Christmas spirit, which means for me, lots of music. Listened to a lot in the car, but with cars and highway signs going by, it's tough. I really like Santa Claus and his Old Lady from Cheech and Chong. My wife gets one Christmas CD every year. This year she got three, cuz of a snafu at Amazon.com. She likes the non-secular church Christmas music, same as me. It's awesome stuff. So I'm catching up on my Christmas music today.

Road trip report: We drove 12 hours from Tuscaloosa to Kansas City almost two weeks ago. Drove through Tupelo, MS and Jackson, Tennessee (so as to avoid Memphis and traffic and construction), before crossing into Missouri at the boot heel, and heading north on I-55 to St. Louis, then I-70 westbound. Heard the voice of a former co-worker on the air, I think out of Springfield, which was a pleasant surprise.

While in the KC metro, I visited the Truman Museum in Independence. Well worth the eight bucks. I'm about 3/4 through David McCullough's bio on HST, so I was kind of familiar with the topic going in. The museum can go places the book can't. I really enjoyed my afternoon, and more and more, I'm thinking of HST as truly a great American.

More to follow later on the trip.

K-State is up to number 12 in the polls, following a win at Alabama. The Miners won at Oklahoma Monday. Both of these teams have very special places in my heart, for different reasons, and this season could be really special for the both of them.

Okay, off to lunch and more chores.

Sweet Home Alabama

2009-12-22T20:54:00.000-06:00

Ann and I are finally back in Tuscaloosa after a road trip of a week and a half. We saw Ann's mom, plus her brother and his family... Went back to Manhattan, flew to Austin and drove to Fredericksburg to watch a good friend get married... flew back to KC, then drove back to T-Town, breaking it down into two days by stopping in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

I'll try to break the trip down over the next several days.

I got two fantasy football teams into the semifinals... Energy Corporation lost by three points last night and drops to the third-place bracket... and Sean's Goat Farm is into the semis, as it was an 8-team bracket.

And I spent a lot of drive-time on the way up thinking on things, such as a complete career change. Getting *out* of radio. It's all I know, all I ever wanted to do, all I ever trained for and all I've ever done. But I just can't see a future in it. So I'm really looking at doing something else, something that I can enjoy, and something that pays. I told a friend of mine that I was (and still am) thinking about going back to school, and he slid into character (he's a career coach). Sent me a book and everything.

I'm gonna get a part-time job here very soon. I've been enough of a drain on my wife. I can still do the schooling.

Just really glad to be home-- been pretty wiped out for a while. Sleep in our own bed and all that. It's not to be underestimated.

And Christmas is coming. So is the Christmas Eve midnight service. I can't wait. This service is my absolute favorite of the whole year.

Manhappiness

2009-12-16T16:03:00.001-06:00

My wife Ann and I are back in Manhattan, KS as she spent Tuesday defending her dissertation. They have some changes and revisions and additions and what not, but she's answering to Dr. Woodyard now, and I don't have words to express how proud I am of her. For putting in the effort on getting her phd, and for holding her tongue when necessary.

I've had some time on my hands, and I've spent it drinking coffee (Caribou and Starbucks-- both are excellent) and reading my book about Harry Truman. I'm on page 675 or so, and am about 2/3 of the way through. But it's a great read, and I am becoming more and more of a fan of HST, who seems to be truly a great American.

We love and miss Manhattan-- we courted, had lots of fun and married here, and a lot of our friends are in the neighborhood. It just doesn't feel like home anymore. Not their fault-- it's ours, for moving away. We both try to look forward and not backward, and our lives are in Tuscaloosa now. But it's been great seeing the sights and catching up with old friends.

So we'll leave town tomorrow and head back to Kansas City. Then first thing Friday morning, I fly to Austin for my friend Sean's wedding. He's been through a lot the last seven years or so, but he's a survivor, and I'm so proud of him for being a man and doing the right thing when it would be easy not to. He's met a wonderful gal, and they'll be married the 19th. They seem like a terrific match, and I'm honored that he's asked me to stand with him and share in their joy.

Thinking more about going back to school, though a conversation I had Saturday suggests I look at the gifts I have. And a career change seems like a greater possibility. I like sports, but radio, not so much. Doesn't pay well, and I have Ann to think about now. It's been hard the last few days, having this on my mind-- knowing that what I was trained and went to school for and spent my entire life wanting could be coming to an end. It's been my identity, and it feels like it's being taken away. Having all these options is good in a way, but bad in a way, also, since I don't really have any direction right now.

And K-State is ranked 17th this week. I think this could be a special year for Cats basketball. And my Miners lost to the Aggies at home, after blowing them out of the Pan Am Center last week. UTEP is at Ole Miss tonight. I loves me some UTEP basketball.

road trip!

2009-12-13T22:16:00.001-06:00

So we drove 12 hours Friday from Tuscaloosa to Kansas City. Went to the Truman museum (finally) and saw some of the sights in KC. Heard some really great music.

Also did some soul searching. Much to think about.

And off to Manhattan Monday.

More to follow.

Pushing and Pulling

2009-12-07T10:32:00.001-06:00

In the last six months, I've started a new life for myself and for my wife Ann. There has been some angst inside of me as to what I want to do with myself and what I should become.

It ties in directly to the 'change' factor, and how poorly I respond to change, even if it's something I know I need. I don't really want to change, since it kind of feels like 'selling myself out,' like who I was before was wrong somehow. Or feeling like I'm doing something because others want me to do it. That's not the reason to do things, I know, but for me, it's there.

I know these are things I need to do, that people shouldn't just stop growing and trying to get better and learn new things. Being single and spending a lot of time alone, I didn't feel a need to expand my horizons and learn more. I had a job and could support myself-- life is good, right?

But I was also a bit of a closed person before. I played video games a lot and did things that didn't really challenge me. I wasn't learning or trying to become a better man. And I didn't like having things pointed out to me that I liked doing and were safe and kept me from getting hurt(ie video games) but kept me from moving forward.

It's something my marriage is teaching me. So much more is different now from before. New town, new people, no job, no contacts and having to learn my way around. I'm having to basically reinvent myself, and evaluate whether what I was doing (radio play by play, which I loved) is a good thing long-term, since I have a wife and our futures to think about. But I also think that a lot of people would love to stop and change direction midstream.

So is radio pbp my future? Don't know. And if it's not, what direction do I choose? And will I be happy doing it? What will be my reaction to the change? Can I do my part to support us? Who knows.

But I do have a sense of urgency now that I didn't have before. I have to get off my butt and advance the ball, give effort and press on and stay positive.

In the news... the Chiefs still suck rocks and looking to put up my first married person Christmas tree tonight. And I've not gone for a run in two weeks. Calf trouble, just like last year at this time.

Weekend review

2009-12-06T16:18:00.000-06:00

I know it's still Sunday, but the last three days have been pretty full for me, so we'll catch up a little.

Thursday and Friday, I hung out in the press box at Bryant-Denny stadium, watching the Alabama Super Six Championships. All six classes played their state title games. Three games Thursday and three Friday. I sat in the public address booth, helping the PA guy with spotting duties. Ball carrier, tackler, receiver, etc. Pretty much what I did at the UAB football games, so it was pretty easy. Watching three games back-to-back-to back can also be exhausting. Sounds funny, I know, but it gets a little cumbersome after a while. It reminded me of the times when I'd broadcast four or five HS basketball games in a day. It's ball and it's fun, but you're ready for it to end after a while.

It was also a chance to network. I wrote a :60 ad that played on the jumbotron at the stadium, and this was my 'payment.' Well worth it, I think... I met a lot of really nice people and passed out a lot of business cards. Hopefully it'll lead to something. Definitely a chance to enjoy a side of football I don't get to see very often. Great times.

Saturday, it was UAB women's basketball, where I do some PA work. They beat Mississippi Valley State by 20+, but didn't really open things up until they got some three pointers to drop. I find that I kind of enjoy being Mr. Big Voice Guy. More than I imagined. Emceeing the halftime contests is something I'm learning about.

Driving back from Birmingham, I listened to the Alabama-Florida game on the radio, and watched the second half at a watch party with Ann and some friends. Good people, and more good times. Especially cuz the Tide won, and won big. So Bama plays Texas for a national title. So I get to root for Alabama and against Texas all at the same time. Handy, one-stop shopping.

And there's much to think about. What to do with myself, and how to grow and get better as a person. Learning new things, despite every inclination to stay where I am. I know I need to improve, and I'm finally ready mentally and emotionally to get after it.

And there's a road trip in our future. Details to follow.

Giving thanks

2009-11-30T21:55:00.001-06:00

One of the nice things I've seen in the last several weeks is that people on Facebook have spent time talking about things they are thankful for. So many things, so little time. But it doesn't stop us from sharing a few of those things.

One thing I'm thankful for (and I could go on, of course) is the new family I've married into. Ann and I drove off from Tuscaloosa last Tuesday afternoon about 4 and drove as far as Bainbridge, Georgia. Wednesday morning, we drove the rest of the way to Tampa, where her cousin Ellen and husband George and two munchkins live. Another cousin lives in Ft. Myers and came up for the occasion. Ann's mom flew in from KC, as did Ann's uncle. So the clan was all there. I'd never been to Florida, so I was eager to check it all out. The only down side is that it was a short trip. Got to Tampa Wed early afternoon and ran back to Tuscaloosa Friday.

It was a good chance to bond with these people, since there wasn't much time at the wedding. And we had a great time. Lost my shirt to an 8-year old nephew in hold-em poker. I swear, the kid kept drawing flushes and straights against my pair of fours. We sat and talked, I talked some, listened a lot. I like listening to people tell stories, so I could've sat there all night. We ate a terrific Thanksgiving feast, courtesy of Ellen and many extra hands. And we saw some of the Sunshine State. Walked along Tampa with family and two border terriers (Fred and Ginger).They live close to Raymond James Stadium, so they know whenever the Buccaneers score, cuz they can hear those cannons boom. Lots of weird and different stuff down there. But it was a great time. And I can't wait to go back.

Ann, her mother and I drove back up Friday, listening to the Alabama-Auburn game. A and I obviosuly had a vested interest and it was our first Iron Bowl, and Mumsie loves a good ball game. So we drove through the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama listening to Uncle Eli get Bama a win. I really like listening to him call a football game. I swear nobody spoke in that car for maybe an hour, hour and a half-- we were that into the game. I think we were driving through Montgomery when the Tide scored in the last minute to win.

The reason we hauled buns back is because I had UAB women's basketball duties. I do the public address. It's harder than it looks, but it's kinda fun, and it's *definitely* outside the box.

So I'm thankful for safe travels, new family, old family, new friends, old friends, great times, new opportunities, and so much more.

Weekend recap

2009-11-23T08:39:00.000-06:00

Monday morning means the start of a new week, and the end of the old one. So it's a good place to take a quick look back and also look forward.

Friday night, I just laid low. I spent football Fridays helping the local TV station with their high school football coverage, but that ended a few weeks ago. So I watched Project Runway with my wife. Actually, she watched, and I watched KSU basketball on the computer. Our Cats lost to Ole Miss, who's supposed to be pretty good in the SEC West.

Anyhow, on to Saturday. My assignment, through the UAB Media Relations Office, was to handle the public address at Bartow Arena for the women's basketball team, as Miami, Fla. visited. So I drove from Tuscaloosa into Birmingham for the game. But the other guy was already there. With every other job covered, I came back home.

I knocked out a few things around the house, then sat down for the UTEP football game, at Rice. I love my Miners more than any other team on the planet. I guess you could call me a long-suffering fan. Well, the suffering continued with six lost fumbles and a 30-29 loss, moving their record to 3-8. This kind of thing has happened a lot this season, and we've stunk it up for decades, so we're used to it. Yet we keep coming back. Go figure.

Sunday was church, and some pretty awesome church music. Wife Ann was under the weather, so it was a solo voyage. Going to church together is a great joy of our lives, so it wasn't the same without her. But normally, I'd just punt it and stay home and drink coffee. I also went back to church at 3:30 for Dave Ramsey's Financial Planning University. Very useful info. Hopefully I'll have some money to manage at some point. Got home, watched more football and more Cats hoops.

There's a Thanksgiving trip to Tampa starting tomorrow afternoon, so today will see preparations for that, like straightening the house a little, because Ann's mother is staying with us this coming weekend. I've never set foot in Florida before, so I'm looking forward to seeing just how much Florida there is.

New Guy!

2009-11-20T22:24:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine recently offered me a chance to write/post on his blog, so as to maintain and sharpen my writing skills. I posted, once, but it kinda felt out of place, so that's why I'm here.

This is my first attempt at blogging... I'd thought about it before, but wondered whether I'd stay with it for more than 20 minutes before losing interest. I still may, but I decided (thanks to Dr. Emmet Brown) 'what the hell.'

I don't want to share everything all at once, but here are the basics: I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with my wife Ann, who is my best friend on the planet. We were married in June and moved to the Deep South the first of August. She works at UA, and I'm knocking on a lot of doors, shaking a lot of hands and meeting a lot of people as I try to find a job. I've got a lot of things going on, and those, too, will come out over time.

So thanks for stopping by, and welcome aboard.

My post from Sean's blog...

2009-10-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

From October 28, 2009. This was the post I left on his site before deciding to branch out on my own.

This reminds me of a bit George Carlin did, where he talked about Mike Douglas having a guest host on his show. Either you’re a guest or the host…

Anyhow, I guess Sean is holding you all hostage while helping his friends at the same time. He has this uncanny knack for knowing what’s best for me without my really knowing it. There are two people who have this skill, and I married the other one.

My wife and I started down many new paths this summer. It’s been four months since we got married, three months since we moved to Alabama, and 2 1/2 months since she started her job and I started looking for a new one. One of my favorite sayings is ‘get out of the box,’ meaning to break out of old habits/ruts and find new, creative ways of learning or doing things. I always say I like it in my little box. It’s cozy, all my stuff is in here, and there’s always a rerun of Bull Durham on the TV.

But these life changes pretty much forced me out of the box. For 7 1/2 years, I had a stable job with decent pay, doing a lot of what I wanted to do at a radio station in Kansas. Now I’m starting over in Tuscaloosa, which is nice in a way, since it lets me reinvent the wheel and go in a completely different path if I want to. I’ve done the exercises in Bolles’ “What Color is your Parachute” job-hunting book, and I’ve learned a lot about who I am and the things I like to do. I’m using this information to plan my next job. The challenge here is how to best use the information. Job ideas pretty much run the gamut, and many of them I’d never dreamed of or considered. Like teaching. The people I consider my inner circle all think I’d be a great teacher. I’d never imagined myself doing that. Going back to school? I’m a broadcaster, I don’t need any more schooling… But since I’m outside the box, nothing is off limits.

I’ve even accepted a part-time job running the control board at the sports talk station here in town. Basically doing the same thing I did in Lubbock in 1995 when I first started– Texas Rangers baseball, Houston Rockets basketball, Dallas Cowboys football, etc. Entry-level stuff. But it’s a foot in the door, it’s a start. I did good work in Kansas, and two people I worked for have kindly lent their names as references. But nobody in Alabama knows them, so we have to get back in on the ground floor. You never know where these things will take you.

Wife Ann and I are pretty much settled, and we’re getting used to life in the South. Still much swirling around us. Many questions for her and for me. Maybe when we get these things figured out, we can relax. But then there’ll be other stuff to figure out… and then, well… who knows?

There will always be something to learn/do/figure out. There is no destination. Only a journey. We continue to grow, to learn, to get a little better every day. And we do the best we can.